21 Journal 
LIFE IN INDIA 

, IN 1857-1859, 

WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE WAY THITHER. 
BY MRS. LEOPOLD PAGET. 



A SHORT NARRATIVE OF THE PURSUIT 01 
THE REBELS IN CENTRAL INDIA, 

BY MAJOR PAGET, R.H.A. 



r 




CAMP AND CANTONMENT: 
a Journal 

OP 

LIFE IN INDIA 

IN 1857-1859, 

WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE WAY THITHEE. 
BY MRS. LEOPOLD PAGET. 

TO WHICH IS ADDED, 

A SHOUT NARRATIVE OF THE PURSUIT OF 
THE REBELS IN CENTRAL INDIA, 

BY MAJOR PAGET, R.H.A. 



fUnttxm : 

LONGMAN, GREEN, LONGMAN, ROBERTS, & GREEN 
1865. 



LONDON : 

gilbert and rivington, printers, 
st. john's square. 



4 



TO 

EMILY, VISCOUNTESS SYDNEY, 

little $ ahmt 

IS, 

BY PERMISSION, 
AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction • ■ 

CHAPTER I. 

Embarcation— Towing down Channel— Put into Ports- 
mouth—Start again— Sea Sickness— Pass Madeira— 
A Shark caught— Gale of Wind— Cold and Wet 

CHAPTER II. 

Speak a Batavian Ship— A Swim after an Albatross— The 
Tail of a Hurricane— Blue Shark and her Young- 
Convict Ship— Provisions run short— First Sight of 
Land— Native Fishing Boats— Luminous Waters- 
Taken in Tow , 

CHAPTER III. 

First Impressions of Bombay— Kind Reception— Native 
Town— Arab Horses— Marriage Feast— Ordered to 
Poona— Ascent of the Ghauts— Cave Temples of 
Karlee — Journey to Poona . 

CHAPTER IV. 

English Church— Military Business— City of Poona— 
Temple of Parbuddee — Christmas — Native Con- 
verts—Bullock Carriages— Expedition to Singhur 



vi 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER V. 

PAGE 

Artillery Ball — Incendiary Fires — Ordered away — 
Jonrney to Bombay— Temples of Elephanta— Em- 
bark on my Coasting Voyage-— Detained at Yin- 
gorla — Land — Journey to Belgaum .... 117 

CHAPTER VI. 

Execution of Rebels at Kolapore — Arrival of Battery — 
Captive Rajah — Nawab of Shahpur — Picnic— On the 
March again — Storm — Tent blown down — Arrival 
at Dharwar . 149 



CHAPTER VII. 

A Wedding — Setting in of the Monsoon— Rumoured Out- 
break — Field Force organized — Sudden March — 
Murder of Mr. Manson ■ — Demonstration — Ladies 
ordered into the Fort — Mail robbed — Taking of 
Nurgoond— Return of Column to Dharwar . . 170 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Intennittent Fever— Lizzie's Adventures — Trial and Exe- 
cution of the Rajah — Theatricals and Balls — The 
Mohurrun — Picnic; — Visit to the Dessayes of Hiblee 
— Native Ladies . . . . . .203 



CHAPTER IX. 

Rumour of Change — Expedition to Nurgoond — The Comet 
— Start on an Excursion to the Western Jungles — 
Visit from the Nawab of Savanoor — Continued Rain 
— Difficulties — Temple at Hangul — Station of Sir- 
cee — Break down 230 



CONTENTS. 



Yll 



CHAPTEE X. 

PAGE 

Falls of G-airsapa — Cross the Eiver — Return Journey in 
Palkees — The Nawab's Elephant — Eeturn to Dhar- 
war — Start again — Attack of Dysentery — Eest at 
Belganm — Nepanee— The Eajah's Palace . . . 259 

CHAPTEE XL 

Crossing a Eiver — Native House — Kolapore — The Mutiny 
— The Maharajah's Equipage— The Palace — Dancing 
Elephant — Uninteresting Journey — Sattara — Eanee's 
Palace and Gardens — Fort — Holy Fish — Arrive at 
Poona . . • 281 



CHAPTEE XII. 

Journey to Ahmednugger— Tomb of the Sisters — Prepa- 
rations for Active Service — Departure of Captain 
Paget — Solitary Life — Summoned to Mhow — Start 
again — Jungle Fever — The Bheels — Arrival at Mal- 
ligaum — Christmas Eve 304 

CHAPTEE XIII. 

Seized with Illness — Compelled to travel in a Palkee— 
Difficulties about Bearers — Solitary Journey — Pas- 
sage of the Taptee — Unhealthy Jungles — Outposts- 
Kind Eeception — Cross the Nerbudda — Arrive at 
Mhow . . . 330 



CHAPTEE XIY. 

Life in Mhow— Hot Season — Eeturn of Central India 
Field Force — Difficulties about Servants — Fever- 
Prepare to return to England — Tiger Shooting — 
Leave Mhow — English Carriage breaks down — Mise- 
ries of the Journey — Beautiful Pass — Eailway to 
Bombay • .352 



Vlll 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTEE XV. 

PAGE 

Embark on board the " Bombay " — The Monsoon sets in — 
Crowded Ship — Suffocating Atmosphere — Passengers 
— Sick People — Bad Food — Aden — Hospitable Friends 
— Eide to the Fort — The "Alma" Passengers- 
Crowded Decks — Ked Sea — Wreck of the " Alma "— 
Miserable Voyage 378 

CHAPTEE XVI. 

Land at Suez — The Desert Kailway— Lost Luggage — 
Cairo — Native Dress — Egyptian Bath — Donkey 
Eiding — Jumma Sheriff Mosque — Bazaars — Insects 
—Expedition to the Pyramids — The Virgin's Cave — 
Tombs of the Caliphs — Alexandria — Embark on board 
the " Indus "—Malta — Capuchin Monastery — Gibral- 
tar—Old England again 399 



APPENDIX. 

" How I Helped in the Pursuit of Tantia Topee " . . 435 



INTRODUCTION. 



The summer of 1857 broke upon the world 
in England with little promise of the momen- 
tous events to be enacted during its course. 
The commercial and domestic intelligence from 
the East brought by each successive mail 
sounded no warning note, so that the dreadful 
tragedy of Cawnpore and the news of the Indian 
mutiny carried sudden and unexpected desolation 
to many an English home. The authoress of 
the following Journal was, happily, unconnected 
by any ties of family or friendship with our 
Eastern Empire, and to many such, the horrible 
story scarcely seemed at first to convey the 
idea of the wide-spread disaffection that really 
existed among the native regiments. The first 
notion at home seemed to be, that a much- to- 
be-lamented mutiny had occurred among a few 
regiments of native troops, which our English 
soldiers in the country would soon put down 
and chastise. Gradually more wide- spread 
alarm pervaded the public mind. It was whis- 
pered that Government were more frightened 



2 



INTRODUCTION. 



than they cared to show; and while cavalry 
and infantry regiments were warned to be in 
readiness to proceed to the East, the House of 
Commons was busy discussing the comparative 
merits of steam or sailing transports. The 
well-known efficiency of the Indian Artillery 
was such, that it did not at first occur to the 
officers of the Eoyal Artillery at home that 
their services would be put in requisition; but, 
as worse accounts arrived with each succeeding 
mail, it gradually dawned upon the authoress and 
her husband, that a voyage to India was a more 
probable contingency than a tour in Switzerland, 
which had been in contemplation for their 
autumn's amusement. At last, about the middle 
of July, the field battery E.A., under the com- 
mand of Captain Leopold Paget, was, among 
many others, placed under orders for immediate 
embarcation. He at once determined on taking 
his wife with him, if permitted to do so; but, 
though continually referred from the Horse 
Guards to the Admiralty, and the India House, 
this could not be ascertained for some time; 
and when at last permission was given, barely 
a fortnight remained in which to settle all private 
affairs, to provide for the children who were to 
be left behind, and to select the necessary outfits. 



JOURNAL. 



CHAPTER I. 

EMBAECATION — TOWING DO WIST CHANEL PUT INTO 

POETSMOUTH — STAET AGAIN SEA SICKNESS — PASS 

MADEIEA — A SHAPE! CAUGHT — GALE OE WIND — 
COLD AND WET. 

Tuesday, August 4, 1857. 

After an early breakfast I drove down at 
8 o'clock to the Arsenal Quay at Woolwich, 
accompanied by the kind friends with whom my 
husband and myself had been staying ever since 
the breaking up of our own establishment, and 
who wished to see the last of us. Here I found 
the men and officers drawn up, belonging to 
my husband's field battery, and to another com- 
pany of the Eoyal Artillery which was to go in 
the same ship with us. Then were enacted the 
scenes of painful partings inseparable from 
the departure of troops on service, where 
the wives are of necessity left behind, and 
greatly was the sergeant's wife envied who 
was allowed to accompany me as my maid. 
b2 



4 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



In the midst of much confusion, we em- 
barked in two small steamers, which were 
so crowded with soldiers and baggage that a 
corner of the paddle-box was the only place I 
could find to sit on, and we were conveyed down 
the river, receiving deafening cheers from the 
garrison at Purfleet, and the different ships we 
passed, for we were the first detachment to 
leave England for the relief of the sufferers in 
India. At Gravesend we were transferred to 
the " Warrior Queen" sailing transport of 
1200 tons, on board of which was also a troop 
of 3rd Dragoon Guards; and here we were 
joined by friends anxious to say one more 
"good bye;" the confusion attendant on fitting 
up and arranging our cabin, and the excitement 
of the scene, fortunately preventing our dwelling 
on the misery of separation from all we held 
dear in this world. From various causes, and 
principally because the crew were all so drunk 
that the captain dared not put to sea, we were 
delayed at Gravesend till 4 p.m., and were then 
towed down to be anchored for the night off the 
Nore, We found ourselves in possession of one 
of the stern cabins (the right to which had been 
kindly given up by the brevet-major commanding 
the troops, who was a single man), and when 



EMBAKCATION. 



5 



we had got it in order, it was really comfortable, 
and contained a good cupboard in which to 
stow away superfluous articles. Our two swing 
cots, which at night were laced together, by 
day were separately triced up to the ceiling, 
because, when down, they filled the whole cabin, 
so that one had to go about on all fours under 
them, which rendered undressing rather a 
difficult matter; and before we attempted to 
dress in the morning our soldier servant was 
summoned in to assist in tying up the cots, 
whilst I retreated into the cupboard till the 
operation had been performed. We thought 
our first dinner on board this evening a very 
bad one, but made allowances for the first day, 
considering that nothing and nobody were in 
their places, and the steward (evidently an in- 
efficient one) remarkably tipsy. 

Wednesday, August 5. 

Towing commenced again early this morning, 
so that we found ourselves opposite Margate 
about breakfast time. Talking of breakfast, 
nothing can be conceived more nasty than our 
meal so called ! Tea, both greasy and muddy, 
indifferent bread, and rancid butter, served on a 
filthy tablecloth, accompanied by knives, forks, 



6 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



and spoons of questionable cleanliness, and stuff 
called preserved milk, which our captain thought 
us fastidious for refusing, but which, in colour 
bright pink, with a most offensive smell, was, 
no doubt, a horrid compound of brains, &c. 
About luncheon time, which repast consisted of 
biscuit and jam, or cheese, we were off Deal, 
and the captain having announced his intention 
of going on shore to get various stores in which 
he found the ship deficient, we determined, 
with several others, to accompany him, for the 
pleasure of setting foot on English land again, 
and for the scarcely smaller pleasure of securing 
a clean, good dinner. Deal is a quiet little 
town, remarkable for its cleanliness, with a 
population chiefly of pilots and fishermen, 
who reap a harvest by the frequent wrecks on 
the Goodwin Sands. We sauntered about, 
made a few purchases, had an excellent dinner 
at the Eoyal Hotel, after which we returned 
to our ship, which was again anchored for the 
night. One of the sailor's beds was discovered 
to be on fire to-day, occasioned probably by 
a drunken man smoking. It was fortunately 
found out in time to throw it into the sea, 
before the flames had spread further than the 
bedding; but our commanding officer, finding 



BECALMED. 



7 



extreme carelessness and neglect prevail among 
the officers of the ship, made stringent re- 
gulations for military police, which I trust 
may, under Providence, be the means of our 
safety. 

Thursday, August 6. 

We continued being towed past Folkestone, 
and steadily down Channel, till this afternoon, 
when the tug cast us loose off Beachy Head, 
where apparently we are likely to remain, as, 
however great the sailing powers of the "Warrior 
Queen " may be with a favouring breeze, they are 
wholly unequal to progressing much with one 
dead against her. There are two other ladies on 
board, both more or less suffering from sea sick- 
ness, and I felt miserably cold and wretched, 
though determined not to give in. I do not 
believe I should be at all ill if it were not for 
the horrid smells and the bad food. No one 
whose ideas of the comforts of a long voyage are 
founded upon the accommodation of a fine pas- 
senger ship, can know the horrors of a transport, 
and this one was despatched with such ill-judged 
haste that she was very badly found in every 
respect. There are no cuddy servants except 
the one bad steward ; and from his cupboard, 
called a pantry, at the bottom of the companion, 



8 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



emanates an odour of grease and oil that 
pervades the whole ship. Then the bilge 
water ! I despair of conveying an idea of the 
horrors of that smell, which penetrates every- 
where, even into our clean cabin : I did not 
think it was possible to suffer such intense 
annoyance from such a cause, and I feel inclined 
to envy one of our friends, who is deficient in the 
olfactory sense. We had thunder and lightning 
and violent rain last night, and some showers 
to-day, which made us look out warm cloth- 
ing. The soldiers have exchanged their 
uniforms for white jackets and red caps, 
a remarkably picturesque, but cold dress, con- 
sidering the recent change in the weather. 
They all sleep in hammocks on the lower deck, 
which is open from one end to the other, and 
on fine days the hammocks are brought up and 
piled on deck. The poor women have no accom- 
modation of any kind as yet, but the captain 
promises to put them up something. Fortunately 
there are only two — my sergeant's wife, and a 
black Ayah, engaged, for the voyage by one of 
the other ladies. They have hitherto slept on 
chairs, or tables, or anywhere in a corner, and 
only get a, chance mouthful after our meals, 
which is a great shame, as we pay highly 



SHORT OF PROVISIONS. 



9 



for their passage. We are well off in one re- 
spect — that of having two saloons or cuddies, 
which in wet weather will be a great advantage 
to so large a party, as eighteen could scarcely 
find room at one table. 

Sunday, August 9. 

The last two days I have been too ill to do 
any thing but lie on my back, and the weather 
has been most wretched — continued storms of 
wind and rain, and the former dead against us, so 
that we beat backwards and forwards between 
England and France, scarcely making any real 
progress at all. Most of us were very ill, 
and no comforts procurable; all there was 
to eat being very indifferent, salt junk 
and fowls that had died of sea sickness. 
About noon to-day we neared the Isle of 
Wight, and the officer commanding decided 
on ordering the ship into Portsmouth, that her 
total deficiency in proper supplies might be 
reported to the authorities. We had started 
'with only six sheep, which were, of course, 
nearly consumed, and the ship's boilers were 
not large enough to cook the soldiers' di nn ers. 
The whole day was most unlike a Sunday. 
My husband read service on deck, where the 
soldiers were assembled ; but his voice was 



10 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



almost lost amidst the tumult of wind and 
water. We anchored in the evening off St. 
Helen's, and ourselves and others went on 
shore. We were most hospitably received by 
our kind friends at Admiralty House, who were 
not a little surprised at our unexpected arrival 
at ten o'clock at night. The comforts of a 
steady bed and a warm bath were fully appre- 
ciated, though it was difficult at first to believe 
the room was not in motion. 

Monday, August 10. 

One must have been a week at sea in a 
dirty transport, fully to enjoy the delights of a 
clean tablecloth, and all the appliances of a 
comfortable breakfast table, in a room looking 
on a green garden containing fine old trees. 
After breakfast we sallied out to lay in private 
stores for the voyage, and paid visits to several 
friends; but as the length of our stay was un- 
certain, we did not venture to accompany our 
kind entertainers in their yacht to see the 
French Emperor and Empress pass through 
the fleet, on their return to Havre, from visiting 
our Queen at Osborne. In the evening we 
learned to our delight that we might spend 
another night on shore. 



A SECOND START. 



11 



Tuesday, August 11. 

Hearing we were still at liberty to remain 
on shore, we made an early expedition to Ryde, 
to see some relations who were staying there, 
and on our return to the Admiralty House re- 
ceived the unwelcome intelligence that we must 
join the rest of our fellow passengers at the inn 
and proceed on board our ship. A hard shower 
came on, and we had a most comfortless sail 
to the " Warrior Queen," which we found as 
dirty and unsweet as ever, though the improve- 
ment in our prospects held out by a new 
steward, with two cuddy servants under him, 
and the promise of two clean tablecloths 
a-week, restored us to tolerable good humour. 
I was very busy re-arranging our cabin, and 
getting out every thing likely to be wanted for a 
long voyage. The ship swarms with cockroaches 
of all sizes, which I believe contribute towards 
the offensive odours on board. We go to bed 
soon after eight, as most of the evenings have 
been wet and cold, and the saloon is far too 
unsweet for one to wish to sit there. The 
soldiers' hospital is immediately underneath, 
and is ventilated by means of a trap in the 
floor, so that all the bad air passes through 
the saloon, and one of the cabins immediately 



12 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



adjoining the trap is almost intolerable. Our 
nights are not so very long after all, for sleep 
after four is out of the question, as then begins 
the mysterious operation of holy-stoning, and 
pumping over head, and when that is over, it is 
time to begin the before -mentioned arrange- 
ment of our cots, previous to dressing for 
breakfast at half-past eight. 

Wednesday, August 12. 

We lay at anchor all last night in a fog, and 
remained all day in a dead calm, opposite the 
Culver Cliffs, drifting out with the morning tide, 
and back again in the afternoon. The day was 
warm and lovely, but it was tantalizing to be 
detained thus within sight of land. I went for- 
ward to-day to inspect our new live stock. They 
consist of a goat and kids, plenty of pigs and 
sheep, some less bilious -looking fowls than those 
we started with, a black retriever, with four fat 
pups, a bull-dog, and sundry soldiers' curs. 

Thursday, August 13. 

Had the satisfaction this morning of hearing 
we had made good way during the night. There 
was a thick fog early in the evening, during the 



SEA SICKNESS. 



13 



continuance of which we lay to, and rang a bell 
every quarter of an hour, to warn any approach- 
ing steamers of our vicinity ; it cleared off at 
midnight, and a favourable breeze springing up, 
carried us down to Portland by daylight; and, if 
it continues, we expect to be clear of the Channel . 
to-night, and the pilot will take our last English 
letters on shore. 

Monday, August 17. 

There has been little to record for four days. 
The breeze freshened considerably on the even- 
ing of the 13th, which sent us down Channel at 
a great rate, at the same time reducing most of 
the passengers to a pitiable state. We ran 250 
miles in twenty-four hours, which took us well 
into the Atlantic swell, and then the pitching 
and tossing were terrible. Our cots did not 
answer — they swung unevenly, owing to the 
difference in our respective weights ; and, be- 
sides the feeling of suffocation consequent on 
being so near the ceiling, we bumped our heads 
dreadfully in getting in and out. On Saturday 
I was too ill to leave my cabin, and we thought 
at night we should feel the motion less if we 
put the cots on the floor ; and such a night I 
hope never again to pass ! Every thing that 



14 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



could move had long since left its proper place ; 
every corner of the cabin was strewed with debris, 
and we were obliged to hold tight to our mat- 
trasses to prevent rolling against the boxes, one 
of which threatened to fall on and crush our legs. 
Sunday morning broke with a lighter wind, and 
as soon as I was able to crawl on deck, the 

fresh air revived me wonderfully. L read 

prayers to the men on the poop, who were 
arranged in four rows, the three front rows sit- 
ting, and the back one standing— whilst the 
officers were grouped round the companion, the 
top of which, covered with a Union Jack, formed 
a kind of reading-desk. To-day the climate is 
sensibly warmer, but the wind is lighter, and 
we do not get on so fast. We spoke a large 
ship, a trader from Liverpool to Valparaiso, 
which, in the monotony of a sea life,, was quite 
exciting. 

The poor woman who was to act as my maid 
has, of course, been more ill than I have been, 
and no wonder, in the suffocation of the wretched 
box partitioned off the men's deck for her and 
her husband. I have never seen her since it 
began to blow, having been nursed wholly by 
my husband and our old soldier servant, who, 
fortunately, were neither of them ill. 



WHIST UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 



15 



Tuesday, August 18. 

To-day we spoke one of Green's large ships, 
bound like ourselves to the East with troops. 
No doubt their comforts far exceed ours, as his 
vessels are considered very perfect in venti- 
lation and accommodation. A solitary duck 
passed us, sailing alone on the wide ocean, 
and looking so lonely, though, no doubt, his 
mate was near, though unseen by us. The ship 
rolled fearfully to-day — walking was impossible, 
and sitting very insecure, but I am thankful at 
having got over my sea sickness, though my 
head still suffers, feeling sore all over, and burn- 
ing at the top. We had a game of whist this 
evening, under difficulties. It rained a little, 
and each player held an umbrella, and the wind 
blew all stray cards in various directions, whilst 
frequently a lurch, stronger than usual, sent at 
least one person rolling on the deck! The 
soldiers sing in chorus in calm evenings, 
which sounds very pretty. It gets dark very 
soon now, and I suppose in the tropics we 
shall all go to bed at six, for it seems generally 
agreed that sitting below is a thing out of 
the question; unfortunately sleep is often 
quite impossible, for, in addition to the rolling 
and pitching of the ship, a crowded London 



16 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



thoroughfare is quiet compared to the creaking, 
straining, and shouting of the sailors, and other 
noises on ship-board at night. There are two 
things almost unbearable to those suffering from 
sea sickness— first, the perpetual motion, and 
it is nearly maddening when reason tells you 
that your agonizing prayer of " stop the ship, 
only for ten minutes," cannot be complied with ; 
secondly, and scarcely more endurable, is the 
unceasing roar of the waves, a dreadful rushing 
sound in the ears, that never, never ceases ! 

Thursday, August 20. 

The last two days have been busily employed 
in organizing a school for the soldiers, but 
having very few books, and no slates, it is dif- 
ficult to know what to teach. My occupation 
this morning was writing out a great number of 
arithmetical tables, and I am very glad when 
the school hour arrives ; any regular occupation 
is such a blessing in our monotonous life. 

Friday, August 21. 
On coming on deck this morning, the island 
of Madeira was very plainly visible, and by 
twelve o'clock we were abreast of it, at the dis- 
tance of about six miles. On this side it con- 



ASPECT OF MADEIRA. 



17 



sists of a majestic mountain, rising almost 
perpendicularly out of the sea, about the centre 
of which is a wide fissure, or ravine, apparently 
extending far into the interior; and there are 
fine detached rocks projecting into the sea. 
At the top of the cliffs we distinctly saw green 
fields, dotted with houses and churches, and 
a convent on the very summit of one of the 
hills. Every available part of the rock is 
formed into terraces for the vines; and down the 
face of the cliffs, facing the sea, were several 
high waterfalls, looking like silver threads. It 
is needless saying how we longed to land on 
this lovely island, and even to have taken on 
board a cargo of fresh fruit and vegetables would 
in some degree have mitigated our regret; but 
not a boat appeared, and the lazy Portuguese 
little knew what a harvest they were losing. 

Saturday, August 22. 

To-day we passed the Canary Islands. The 
Peak of Teneriffe was hidden by the nearer 
mountain of Palma, whose point shone out 
bright high up in the sky, lighted by the rays 
of the afternoon sun, whilst the clouds floated 
across the lower part, but we were too dis- 
tant to distinguish small objects. The colour 

c 



18 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



of the sea is now glorious. An intense bleu 
Eugenie gives to ladies the hest idea of it that I 
can express, and the climate is heavenly : not 
in the least cold, and yet by no means hot, with 
a balmy breeze wafting us along at a good speed. 
One only regrets the absence of twilight, and 
that the moment the sun dips into the sea it 
begins to get dark, so that in ten minutes all 
books or work are obliged to be laid aside : then 
generally commences a grand game of cock- 
fighting, or similar amusements, among the 
young gentlemen ; followed by singing, either 
amongst ourselves or the soldiers, sometimes 
varied by the latter dancing hornpipes or jigs, 
to the music of a flute and bones. I saw to- 
day, for the first time, some flying-fish— pretty 
little white, glittering things— very decidedly 
flying, not leaping, as some books of natural 
history would lead one to imagine. The 
luminous appearance on the sea, w T hich I also 
witnessed for the first time this evening, 
was very different from my imaginings, which 
had pourtrayed a sheet of white fire, whereas 
this appeared like innumerable diamond balls 
rolling through the water in the wake of the 
ship. 



UNCOMFORTABLE MEALS. 



19 



Monday, August 24. 

Yesterday being the first Sunday when we 
were all quite well, and a most lovely day, was 
enjoyed accordingly, though the want of diver- 
sity of employment makes it always a long- 
day on board ship. At night the wind died 
away, and we lay rolling in an Atlantic swell, 
without hope of sleep. It is astonishing, how- 
ever giddy and uncomfortable we feel all the 
morning, how we revive after dinner ; in fact, it 
is our only good meal, and one had need of a sea 
appetite to consider it in that light. The tables 
in the eating saloon are covered with bars, 
supposed to keep the plates and dishes in their 
places, but which signally fail in their object, 
and the soup and meat go larking about in 
company with the decanters and glasses, and 
dinner rarely passes without a smash. We 
ladies have quite given up having our meals 
below. I generally have a bason of coarse oat- 
meal gruel directly I come on deck in the morn- 
ing, which serves me for breakfast ; the bread 
and biscuit are both uneatable, which is a great 
privation. At twelve, we have either a small 
pudding, made by one of our servants, or a cup 
of arrowroot; and our dinner, at four, is brought 
to us on deck, where we eat with our plates on 

c 2 



20 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



our knees. The mutton is generally good, but 
every thing else is very nasty, unless I except 
an occasional bottle of preserved fruit. It is 
quite shocking how greedy this indifferent food 
makes us feel, and how we look forward to and 
talk of the good things we expect in India ; 
and, before long, I fear we shall be worse off, 
and put on short allowance. 

Wednesday, August 26. 

Although we have entered the Tropics the 
weather continues cool on deck, though below, 
when we have but little wind, the closeness is 
suffocating. A poor little Scotch terrier, of 
amiable manners, belonging to one of the offi- 
cers, who was a favourite with us all, has dis- 
appeared mysteriously; it is supposed that 
when she was looking over the side, a violent 
roll of the ship threw her into the sea, when it 
is very sad to think of her fate., swimming till 

strength failed her, and then poor little 

thing ! Lately we have taken to walking a mile 
every evening at dusk, which, as near as we can 
reckon, is 110 turns on the poop. The moon- 
light is delicious ; and though the moon is only 
five days old, the light is as great as that of a 
full moon at home. 



BAD WATER. 



21 



Sunday, August 30. 

We have made good progress, and passing 
outside the Cape de Verde Islands, are now 
steering s.E. towards the coast of Africa. We 
all felt ill again on Friday, owing more, I think, 
to the weather than the motion. There is 
plenty of wind, but it is hot, sticky, and unre- 
freshing, and is a Sirocco from the African 
Deserts. My husband and I have had our cots 
taken down, and a wide bed-place made across 
the stern windows in our cabin, which we find far 
more comfortable. Fresh meat will not keep in 
this weather, and latterly we have been reduced 
to fat pork, which at home, if one felt qualmish 
and giddy, though ravenously hungry (an 
anomaly only experienced on a long voyage), 
would certainly be the last dinner one should 
choose, particularly when served on very greasy 
plates, accompanied by knives, forks, &c, in 
similar condition. Our allowance of water is 
only a pint each, of the consistence of thick 
soup and with a horrible smell ; the same is 
used for cooking, and the poor soldiers have to 
drink it. We have a small filter in our cabin, 
where we collect two or three days' allowance 
for the purpose of cleaning our teeth. We 
possess also an India-rubber bath, which we are 



22 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



able to use daily — except in very rough weather 
— filled with sea water. In this muggy, un- 
wholesome weather, we have not been well 
enough to keep school; and the poor soldiers 
seem to feel its depressing influence too, for 
they he about the decks asleep, like so many 
hounds in a kennel, over and across one another 
in every variety of attitude, with no relief to the 
tedium of the long day. 

Tuesday, September 1. 

An agreeable change in the weather, but for 
two days we have been nearly becalmed. Yes- 
terday a boat was lowered for the amusement 
of a pull on the Atlantic, and a beautiful little 
creature of the nautilus tribe was caught and 
brought on board. The sailors called it a 
Portuguese man-of-war. It was composed of a 
bright lilac jelly-like substance, without apparent 
head or tail, and its little sails were folded ; but 
it contained so much electric fluid as to give 
a stinging sensation to the hands, not only of 
those who touched itself, but the cloth on which 
it was laid, or the water in which it floated. 
To-day, in remembrance of the gunning going 
on at home, we had some pistol practice at a 
bottle, the motion of the waves rendering it by 
no means easy to hit. In the afternoon there 



CATCHING A SHARK. 



23 



was great excitement produced by the appear- 
ance of a shark. "When first I saw him swim- 
ming round the ship, with the greatest uncon- 
cern, and deaf to all the noise, I thought him 
by far the most beautiful monster I had ever 
seen, exactly resembling in colour the fabulous 
green dragons of fairy tales ; his large side fins 
making an excellent substitute for wings. He 
snapped greedily at a piece of pork fastened to 
a hook, and to do this he was obliged to turn 
on his side, as a shark's jaws are so contrived 
that they are unable to seize their prey in their 
ordinary position. He was hooked by his upper 
lip, and but slightly, for he soon broke loose, 
when, strange to say, the hook caught in his 
tail, and we were in hopes of seeming him; but, 
unfortunately, after vain attempts to throw a 
noose over Irim, or stick a harpoon in the 
struggling monster, his captors grew impatient, 
and endeavoured to pull him out of the water 
by the hook and line, when, of course, his weight 
tore away the piece of the tail, and he escaped. 
The moment he was drawn into the air, the 
illusion of his beauty vanished— the lovely green 
colour being produced by seeing him through 
the water — and he very much resembled a huge 
cod-fish. He was not a large specimen, his 



24 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



length appearing to be about six feet, and the 
sailors estimated his weight at about 1201bs. 
It was very curious to see how closely he was 
followed by two pilot-fish, beautiful little things, 
with cross stripes of brown, who never deserted 
him; and even in his struggles for his life kept 
swimming round and round him, and finally 
escorted the wounded monster off in triumph. 

Friday, September 11. 

All this time we have been struggling with 
contrary winds, and beating about in the Bay 
of Benin, without making any progress. One 
day a boneta was caught, a hideous, smooth, 
hard, and shiny fish, without scales, like a 
wooden toy, and it proved quite uneatable. 
My poor maid has been very ill, from the bad 
air below; and some of the soldiers have also 
suffered, as during the squally weather the 
hatches have been battened down. The heat and 
smells that rise from the hospital surpass any 
imagination ; and we are thankful to have been 
hitherto preserved from any infectious disease. 
The glass and crockery are rapidly diminishing ; 
we have now only two real tumblers left, and find 
the bottoms of old bottles an excellent substi- 
tute. I do not know what we are to do when all 



DANISH TRADER. 



25 



the plates and dishes are gone. Our amusing 
powers are utterly exhausted, all energy for 
games and amusements vanished, and we are 
reduced to a state of passive endurance ! 

Sunday, September 13. 

We had the great pleasure yesterday of 
sending home letters by a Danish ship bound 
for Bordeaux, whose captain promised to post 
them. As she bore down towards us with a 
favourable wind, there was a doubt whether she 
would stop to pick up our packet despatched in 
a boat to meet her. However, she was too 
anxious for news to mind the delay, and waited 
whilst we sent some old newspapers on board. 
She was laden with rice from Bengal, and was 
forty-five days from the Mauritius, from whence 
she carried, as passengers, an English merchant 
and his two daughters. The comforts they were 
enjoying made us grumble over our miseries. 
The deck saloon was beautifully clean and 
sweet, and they had three nice goats giving 
milk, whereas our Nanny only gave a cup -full 
for three days, and none ever after ; but what 
was of more importance than all the rest, they 
had such a large supply of delicious clear water, 
that they absolutely used it for washing their 



26 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



clothes ! The Dane had no accounts from India 
of later dates than ours, but whilst she was at 
the Mauritius an Indian officer had arrived there, 
and taken back with him to India every avail- 
able soldier, at the same time leaving directions 
for those troops who touched there, en route to 
China, to be forwarded to Calcutta instead. We 
have been two days in the Southern trade winds, 
getting on at the rate of 200 miles a day. The 
temperature is delicious, like a good specimen 
of May at home. I entirely disbelieve in Tro- 
pical heat at sea; a cloak is always agreeable, 
and we never feel hot. Our captain holds out 
hopes of touching at the little island of Tristan 
da Cunha for fresh water and provisions, as we 
are running short of both, and several sheep 
have died, or been killed to save their lives. 

Tuesday, September 15. 

Two of the sailors were found drunk in the 
hold yesterday, having broken into a barrel of 
beer. In the Merchant service the captains 
execute summary justice at sea, so the exami- 
nation of the culprits ended in a tremendous 
scuffle, during which our skipper, who is a 
powerful man, knocked clown the offenders, and 
hammered their heads against the deck, pre- 



SUMMARY CHASTISEMENT. 



27 



paratory to putting them in irons ; and as it 
is not a first offence, he threatens to imprison 
them on our arrival at Bombay. The coarse 
familiarity subsisting in the merchant service 
between officers and men is very striking to 
those accustomed to the respectful manner of 
her Majesty's soldiers and sailors towards their 
superiors. 

Sunday, September 20. 

A large creature, of the whale kind, has been 
playing round the ship, frequently lifting his 
great head and shoulders quite out of the water. 
He was thought to be a fin-back, a kind very un- 
profitable to whalers, as they are difficult to 
catch, and yield but very little blubber. We 
passed an uninhabited island, called Trinidad, 
during the night, situated on the coast of South 
America, and are now endeavouring to bear to 
the Eastward, to make Tristan da Cunha. We 
have a good deal of mist in the evenings, which 
obscures the brightness of the stars. I miss 
the dear old familiar face of the Great Bear, 
and am much disappointed in the Southern 
Cross, which is composed of bright stars at a 
great distance from each other, and rarely 
visible at the same time, instead of a vivid, 
distinct diamond-like cross, as I had pictured to 



28 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



myself. A few evenings back the soldiers got 
up a kind of fantoccini, and managed the ma- 
chinery of the dancing dolls remarkably well, 
though the dialogue was rather a failure. We 
have attempted to get up some psalm singing, 
to enliven the service on Sundays, but without 
success, owing to the soldiers' shyness, and the 
want of a musical genius among the officers to 
lead them. 

Tuesday, September 22. 

For two days it has blown very fresh, but un- 
fortunately in a wrong direction ; so that we 
are nearing the American coast, and shall have 
to retrace our steps. Yesterday two great blocks 
and chains fell from the mizen mast amongst 
the men who were hauling at the ropes, most 
providentially without injuring any one ; and as 
it is the third or fourth time the blocks have 
come down, it leads one to infer that the iron- 
work of the ship is in a rotten state. This 
morning, just as I had finished dressing, the 
ship gave a tremendous lurch, which spilled the 
water, and set every thing floating in my cabin ; 
and I found, on going on deck, that the bowsprit 
had just been carried away, with all its sails and 
tackle. This is vexatious, as the repair will 
cause some delay. We have been followed for 



CAPE PIGEONS. 



29 



several days by the pretty black and white Cape 
pigeons, and some of the gentlemen amuse them- 
selves by shooting at them, which, as they can- 
not be picked up, is cruel sport. Many beautiful 
albatrosses also constantly fly about us. They 
are most graceful birds of the gull kind, with long 
wings, measuring about 5 feet from tip to tip. 
They are mostly white, with black spots on the 
wings, though some are altogether black. Our 
captain says, if one was caught it could not 
rise from the deck, as they require to paddle in 
the water with their web feet before they can 
take flight. 

Friday, September 25. 

We are sailing along bonnily, on a fair wind 
now, a little South of the latitude of the Cape, 
though far to the "Westward. It is very cold 
for the kind of bivouac life we lead, and difficult, 
on account of the motion of the ship, to take 
sufficient exercise to keep up the circulation, 
and we feel the want of a fire and warm clothing 
dreadfully. We raced an emigrant ship all 
yesterday, passing her at night, and being 
passed by her this morning ; she is from Liver- 
pool, bound for Port Phillip, and eight days 
longer out than us, and must have encountered 
worse weather, as part of her bulwarks have 
been carried away. 



30 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Tuesday, September 29. 

On Sunday the motion was too great to 
allow of more than a few prayers on the quarter 
deck. Early in the morning our main-top- sail 
yard came down with a tremendous crash, 
bringing blocks and chains and every thing with 
it. Providentially it fell slowly, like a great 
tree, so that the men had time to get out of -the 
way. It took the whole day to rig a new one, 
which, with great exertion, was got up in the 
night : this impeded our progress, but still we 
made 219 miles in the twenty-four hours, and, 
to our regret, passed the wished-for Island of 
Tristan da Cunha seventy miles to the north- 
ward. The heavy night dews now saturate our 
bedding and clothes, so that every tiling we put 
on is wet. I have been busy manufacturing 
muffettees from some scraps of cloth . I got from 
the tailor, and an old Crimean friend on board 
has kindly lent me worsted socks, but I suffer 
dreadfully from the cold. Yesterday it rained 
in torrents, obliging us to keep below all day ; 
and our sole food consisted of a sea pie, a by-no - 
means bad mixture of scraps boiled with lumps 
of dough, but the filthy tablecloth, which we 
ladies had so long deserted, was enough to spoil 
any appetite. 



ROLLING IN A CALM. 



31 



CHAPTER II. 

SPEAK A BATAYIAN SHIP A SWIM AFTER AN ALBATROSS 

THE TAIL OF A HURRICANE BLUE SHARK AND 

HER YOUNG COJ5TICT SHIP PROVISIONS RUN SHORT 

FIRST SIGHT OF LAND NATIVE FISHING BOATS 

LUMINOUS WATER TAKEN IN" TOW. 

Sunday, October 4. 

We have had a dead calm for several days, 
the ship rolling heavily in the swell. I was 
attempting my usual breakfast on deck yester- 
day morning, when an unlucky lurch upset me 
and my chair, covering me with the greater 
portion of my cup of cocoa. This cocoa was 
bought by us at Portsmouth, and has been a 
great comfort. Shortly after my adventure, the 
two other ladies, with the husband of one, and 
a ship's boy, who was endeavouring to assist, 
were all prostrated together and rolled to the 
side of the ship. The weather was bright and 
pleasant, and, as a Batavian ship was lying near 
us, a boat was lowered, and some of the gentle- 
men went to pay her a visit, and on their return 
brought two young Dutchmen to see us, and a 
friendly exchange of provisions was made be- 



32 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



tween the two captains. When our boat came 
back, there was great difficulty in seizing the 
right moment to clutch the rope-ladder and as- 
cend the ship's side; for, owing to the swell, 
the little boat was raised at one moment at 
the top of the wave half as high as the deck, 
whilst the next, she sunk in a trough almost 
under the ship's bottom. I was very thank- 
ful when all were safe on board. The wind 
rose in the afternoon, and in the night fresh- 
ened to a gale, every rollable thing breaking 
loose. There was no possibility of any ser- 
vice to-day, so we were obliged to be content 
with private reading. Some of the Cape 
pigeons were shot and brought on board. 
They are about twice the size of land pigeons, 
but very thin and light, their size consisting 
in their feathers. They are white, prettily 
spotted with black, and their breasts are covered 
with soft white feathers over a layer of black 
down. Of course their feet are webbed, and 
sometimes a flock of twenty may be seen 
swimming after the ship, like ducks in a pond. 

Tuesday, October 6. 

The gale has gradually increased, accom- 
panied by squalls, and a magnificent sea ; huge 



SHOOTING AN ALBATROSS. 33 

waves rising half as high as the masts, appear- 
ing as if they must inevitably overwhelm the 
ship, which then bounds on and over them, with 
a leap that makes holding on difficult. Two 
sails were carried away, though only enough 
were set to enable us to scud before the gale. 
It is impossible to sleep during this violent 
motion, and the process we undergo may be 
thus described : on lying down in bed, one's 
head is suddenly elevated, and the heels pulled 
down a foot or two ; then as quickly the position 
is reversed, the feet go into the air, and the 
head is forcibly pushed down the same distance, 
occasioning a choking apoplectic sensation, far 
from pleasant, to say nothing of rubbing the 
hair off in quantities. 

Thursday, October 8. 

We have passed the longitude of the Cape 
about 150 miles to the South. The wind has 
abated, and it is much warmer. We had a 
dreadful fright this morning. One of the young 
officers shot an albatross, and as we were nearly 
stationary, and he was a fine swimmer, he 
greatly longed to jump in after it. The captain 
of the ship, who ought to have known better, 
dared him to the attempt, and in a few moments 



34 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



he had leaped from one of the stem windows. 
Though the bird at that moment appeared 
within ten yards, there was a rapid current 
running, which carried us back, so that he had 
to swim far ahead of the ship to pick it up ; 
and then, turning to come back, he found his 
strength fail him, and that he had no power to 
struggle against the heavy swell. He shouted 
for help ; it was a moment of intense anxiety, 
and we almost gave him up for lost, whilst the 
boat was lowered and pulled towards him as 
quickly as possible ; and, oh ! how thankful 
were we to see him brought on board, still 
holding his bird. He was half an hour before 
he could speak plainly, from the violent buffeting 
of the waves, and said he could not have sup- 
ported himself ten minutes more; and it was not 
till after he was safe on board that we were 
aware of another cause for alarm, the black fin 
of an enormous shark appearing above the 
water ! They are scarce in these latitudes, and 
no one had thought of that clanger. The 
albatross, for whose sake so much was risked, 
is a very handsome bird, white, with black 
wings, measuring 6 feet 5 inches across. His 
legs are grey, and his bill black, with an orange 
tip, slightly hooked. Amongst the birds which 



INTENSE COLD. 



35 



surround the ship are many boobies, resembling- 
large brown clucks, and as tame as those in a 
farm-yard at home. There are whales about 
also. 

Thursday, October 15. 

We have observed several waterspouts lately, 
a cloudy column like a funnel descending from 
the sky to the sea : it is intensely cold, and we 
are nearing the ice. We tried breakfasting in 
bed to secure a few more hours of warmth, but 
the experiment was a failure, inasmuch as it 
resulted^ in the upsetting of the cocoa into the 
bed, which, with the scarcity of clean sheets 
incident to a voyage, was annoying. Yesterday 
was a day of unmitigated misery — the atmos- 
phere a thick wet fog, too cold to remain many 
minutes on deck, and too slippery to move when 
one was there, notwithstanding that for some 
time the captain has had a sort of network of 
crossed spars lashed all over the deck, to give 
resting-places to the feet in rough weather. 
Then below, in the saloon over the hospital, 
the foul air was quite insupportable, and in the 
other the draughts and cold were very trying. 

Tuesday, October 20. 

For several days we had intense cold, with 
d 2 



36 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



snow- showers, varied by an occasional gleam of 
hot sun. The sea rolled tremendously, and the 
sudden variations in the barometer made the 
captain suspect that a hurricane was blowing 
not far off. At last, on Monday evening, the 
gale rose to a terrific height. I had gone to 
bed, and it seemed as if we must turn over — as 
if nothing made by man could resist the violence 
of the wind, which blew from all quarters at 
once; whilst the ship quivered and strained 
under bare poles, amid the surging of a sea 
literally mountains high. By ten o'clock, pro- 
videntially, the storm abated, and we are now 
bowling along under plenty of sail, having made 
250 miles, on an average, for several days, 
notwithstanding the tail of the hurricane which 
we encountered. The wind has been very de- 
structive to hats and caps ; L— had two 

carried overboard, and my old wide-awake was 
suddenly lifted off my head and carried down 
the air chimney into the hospital, to the great 
alarm of its inmates, who, no doubt, expected 
to see it followed by a gentleman in black. We 
are so far from land now, in the Indian Ocean, 
that the birds have entirely deserted us, our 
last visitor being a stately white albatross, who 
kept flying to the bows of the ship, and then 



YOUNG SHAKES. 



37 



quietly floated whilst we sailed past him, re- 
peating this many times, looking curiously up 
at us, and eating scraps that were thrown to 
him. 

Saturday, October 24. 

The weather is now charming ; we seem to 
have left winter behind, with the pleasing cer- 
tainty of not returning to it ; but the wind has 
dropped to a dead calm, and we lie scarcely 
moving on a sapphire sea, and it is amusing to 
notice how opinions change with the weather as 
to the probability of a speedy termination to 
our voyage. Great excitement was produced 
to-day by the appearance of a shark, with its 
attendant pilot-fish; bait was prepared, and 
soon the monster was hooked and drawn up on 
the forecastle, amidst the cheers and shouts of 
the soldiers. It was killed by cutting off its tail, 
and then brought down to the main deck. It 
proved to be a female blue shark about ten feet 
long; and, curious to relate, when opened a 
bag was found, containing about forty live young 
ones, each eighteen inches long, which she had 
swallowed on approaching the ship, as they 
always do in time of danger. The young of 
the shark are hatched in the parent's inside, 
from which they issue by the mouth, and return 



38 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



again to their nursery at any moment the 
mother may deem convenient. To the head 
of the shark we found attached a sucker — a 
curious little parasite, furnished with an appa- 
ratus by which he can produce a vacuum, and 
thus stick to the skin of any large fish on which 
he wishes to feed. He is dark brown, with a 
finny tail, and about four inches long, the suck- 
ing machine attached to his head occupying 
about one quarter Iris whole length. The 
young sharks were pretty little creatures, of a 
bright blue, and white underneath, their smooth 
scaleless skins looking as if made of china. 
They were very fierce, and bit any one who 
ventured to play with them. Blue sharks are 
not reckoned as ferocious and dangerous as 
black-backed ones. The situation of their 
mouths (under their chins) is most curious, 
and the consequent obligation to turn on their 
sides before they can seize their prey, gives the 
latter a chance of escape. The teeth and back- 
bone of this shark were kept as curiosities ; but 
the captain was very particular in having all the 
flesh thrown into the sea, lest it should be eaten 
by the sailors, as it is considered very unwhole- 
some. The heart of the shark, which was 
taken out of his body, continued to palpitate 



PILOT-FISH. 



39 



for several hours. The young ones were put 
into a tub of salt water, and, curious to relate, 
the colour came off their blue bodies to that 
degree, that the tub must be fresh painted, 
and the hands of those who touched them were 
also deeply dyed. 

Monday, October 26. 

All yesterday and to-day the two poor little 
pilot-fish, companions of the murdered shark, 
have been constantly swimming round the ship, 
in the most touching manner looking for their 
lost friend, and at last we threw one of the 
young sharks into the sea, to which they 
attached themselves, and swam off in company. 
The boat was lowered to-day, and the exercise 
of rowing indulged in by those who liked it. 
The sunset was glorious, the great orb itself 
going down in a flood of gold, whilst on the 
opposite side of the sky appeared a shower of 
rose-coloured rain, the intermediate clouds 
being the brightest crimson, shedding floods of 
rosy light all along the water, which was smooth 
and glossy as a pond. For two evenings we 
have been amused by gymnastics and feats of 
strength among the soldiers, in which great 
emulation prevailed in each company of Ar- 
tillery to excel the other, and in both to outdo 



40 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



the ' ' Heavies;" and afterwards leaping and 
various games prevailed among the officers, 
and even the ladies took to hop-scotch and a 
skipping-rope ! 

Wednesday, October 28. 

All day yesterday and to-day the same calm 
has continued, the beauty of the weather alone 
enabling us to bear it with equanimity; and we 
ladies try to keep our fingers busy with various 
fancy-works, though, as no materials are to be 
got on hoard, we have sometimes to exert a 
good deal of ingenuity. We had been con- 
gratulating ourselves lately on the disappear- 
ance of the cockroaches since the cold weather, 
when, last night just after I had stepped into 
bed, I discovered an enormous one, full two 
inches long, cautiously emerging from a crevice, 
followed by six others ; after a most excit- 
ing hunt, I succeeded in capturing them all, 
and I had just settled myself comfortably 
when down dropped another of these loathsome 
creatures on my face, which I swept into the 
sea out of the open window ; and, later in the 
evening, a ninth appeared, who managed to 
elude our clutches. These are dreadful pests, 
but not so bad as the rats, from which our 
cabin has hitherto preserved an immunity, 



COCKROACHES AND RATS. 41 



though other people have nightly visits from 
them; and the poor doctor, who lives next 
door, has positively been driven to abandon his 
cabin and sleep in a boat, or any where,— it 
having been appropriated by a whole family of 
rats, the squeaks of whose youthful progeny we 
constantly hear, and they are so tame that our 
neighbours frequently find them nestling in 
their bedclothes ! Early this morning I was 
awakened by a loud splashing under my win- 
dow; and, putting my head out to see who had 
(as I supposed) fallen overboard, I found my- 
self face to face with a large shark, who had 
been hooked by the upper jaw, and, after some 
manoeuvring to get a noose fast round his body, 
was drawn past our window on to the poop 
above. He was larger, but of a similar species 
to the one lately caught, and had a sucker 
feeding on his tail, who, on the shark being 
drawn out of the water, voted his position un- 
pleasant, and, with a violent effort, disengaged 
his adhesive apparatus, and, with a bound, 
skipped into the sea. 

Thursday, October 29. 
We have had two men very ill with fever, 
who have rallied to-day; but yesterday one was 
thought to be dying, and the sailors considered 



'42 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



the number of sharks seen, a certain prognostic 
of his doom, as they are supposed always to 
follow a ship containing a dying person, on the 
look-out for their expected feast. Two sheep 
died this morning — a great loss, as we shall 
soon be on short allowance. They had been 
fed on biscuit, as the supply of peas was ex- 
hausted, and it disagreed and made the poor 
animals swell and burst, like cows in green 
clover. Arguments on given topics have now 
become the most popular source of amusement 
among us, and well worried the poor argument 
gets, like a bone amongst a set of hungry dogs, 
before the eighteen members of our community 
have done with it. Sometimes these arguments 
are very pleasant and even instructive, as one 
individual of the party will never leave a subject 
till it is thoroughly brought to book and probed 
to the bottom ; at other times they are simply 
absurd, as when another friend, from the Emerald 
Isle, argued for hours, in spite of laughter and 
quizzings, that the expression " Upwards of a 
hundred" meant a few more or less than that 
number. It tells very well for the tempers of 
the party that, though the arguments are fre- 
quently very hot, no angry word has ever been 
spoken. 



POISONED MEAT. 



43 



Sunday, November 1. 

Yesterday it was discovered that we were 
short of water, and all sorts of gloomy projects 
were talked of, such as putting back to the 
Mauritius, when happily in the evening the 
long-expected trade wind sprang up, and Ave 
are again going well, but with too much motion 
to permit of more than a short service on the 
lower deck to-day. Myself and four more, who 
dined off the meat of the poisoned sheep, which 
was served under the idea of its being whole- 
some, have suffered with bad headaches in con- 
sequence. 

Tuesday, November 10. 

All this time the weather has been variable, 
sometimes close and suffocating even on deck, 
and then succeeded by perfect cataracts of rain ; 
squalls abounding ; sometimes a fair wind for a 
few hours, and then a calm again. In short, 
it is now the rainy season here south of the 
Line, and we cannot expect fine weather till we 
have crossed it. One of the sergeants of 
Artillery has long been in a hopeless con- 
sumption, and he and another sick man are 
now brought on deck, their cots protected by 
awnings, as the closeness below nearly kills 
them. 



44 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Sunday, November 15. 

'We had a slight breeze on Wednesday, which 
carried us over the Line, but left us becalmed 
in heavenly weather ever since. This morning 
we were awakened early by the captain calling 
to my husband that he was going on board a 

ship from Bombay. L jumped up and 

accompanied him, and they returned to break- 
fast, bringing the skipper of the " Shah Allum" 
with them. It was a moment of great anxiety 
to learn the state of India, and what might be 
our probable fate on landing. We were told 
of more dreadful massacres at Cawnpore and 
elsewhere, and that Dehli had at last been 
taken, though it held out till September ; but 
more English soldiers are said to have fallen 
already than during the whole Crimean war. 
The Bombay Presidency has hitherto, thanks 
be to God, shown but few symptoms of revolt, 
so that we may hope for a quiet landing. The 
King of Dehli has been taken, and it is to be 
hoped will be made an example of. After 
breakfast I made one of a party to visit the 
" Shah Allum," and was swung over our ship's 
side in a chair, in a rather alarming manner. 
We found ninety-five convicts in irons on board, 
condemned to be transported for life to Prince 



CONVICT SHIP. 



45 



of Wales Island — rather a mild punishment for 
the ruffians who committed the atrocities of 
Meerut and Cawnpore. Their guard consisted 
of a detachment of Sepoy marines under a 
native officer; and some of the convicts had 
actually been in the same regiment, so that the 
position of the captain of the ship and his two 
mates, the only Europeans on board, was by no 
means enviable. The convicts were fine-looking 
ruffians, confined in cages on the lower deck; 
but with plenty to eat, and provided with the 
luxury of tobacco. The food of both convicts 
and sailors consisted of gram or parched peas, 
and rice boiled and flattened, the grains tasting- 
like wafers — both rather pleasant, but to our 
ideas more like animal than human food. The 
ship was a model of neatness and cleanliness, 
and her commander most kind in furnishing 
us with fresh vegetables, a luxury we had long- 
been entirely without, and bottles of rose-water 
for the ladies. The cabins, so airy and sweet, 
were a delightful contrast to our own. Usually 
the captain takes his family with him, but on 
his present dangerous expedition he could not 
venture to do so. He disarms all the Sepoys 
every night, and has their arms piled in his 
cabin. They were very clean-looking troops, in 



46 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



their undress of white muslin tunic and trousers, 
with gay turbans and sashes ; but their under- 
size and smallness of limb were very striking. 
Some of our sergeants who went on board looked 
perfect Gullivers among the Lilliputs, and as if 
they could eat up half-a-dozen at a mouthful. 
Most of them had fine eyes and handsome 
features; but their arms and legs were like 
women's. There were several pretty little black 
boys, whom the captain keeps to wait upon his 
children when on board. We were regaled with 
a delicious tiffin of bananas and sweet cakes, 
and had pure fresh water to drink— the first 
since we left England ; whilst the captain was 
almost overwhelmed with every one's anxiety to 
hear news. The " Shah Allum" is seventeen 
days from Bombay, and no English troop ship 
had arrived when she started ; and the authori- 
ties are anxiously looking for succour, having 
only 250 European troops to defend the place, so 
that the timid are somewhat alarmed, and many 
families have sought refuge on board ship or in 
the fort. We returned to the " Warrior Queen" 
by noon ; but in consequence of the morning's 
excitement, the service on the poop was deferred 
till the afternoon. We brought back a few 
Illustrated News and Bombay papers, the interest 



SEA-PORCUPINE. 



47 



of which will last us for some days. In the 
evening a second ship from Australia was boarded, 
but proved uninteresting. The last few days we 
have been visited by numbers of sparrow-hawks, 
who sit on the rigging and are caught and tamed 
by the men, and there are also some small dark 
yellow birds resembling our yellow-hammers. 

Tuesday, November 17. 
A piece of wreck was picked up yesterday, 
proving to be a jib-boom, probably lost in the 
same manner as ours. Sticking to it were 
innumerable barnacles and small crabs, and a 
sea-porcupine was also captured. He is like a 
small owl, and has the power of inflating him- 
self into a round ball covered with prickles, 
with a funny little tail on one side, and a round 
mouth and droll eyes at the other. It was a 
dismal evening, pouring with rain, in which I 
sat for some time under cloaks and umbrella, 
taking a severe vapour bath. At last there was 
nothing for it but retiring to bed, and reading 
till it was time to go to sleep. Our provisions 
are nearly reduced to junk, two remaining sheep 
being kept alive on potatoes, given by the 
6 ' Shah Allum." Our little luxuries of pickles 
and marmalade are all gone, and so is the 
claret, our only palatable drink. 



48 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Wednesday, Xovernber 18. 

The breeze came at last,, though not exactly 
in the right direction, and increased to a gale 
before evening, and we were off Point de Galle 
at eight o'clock, thirty miles to the S.E. The 
smell of land was quite perceptible, a balmy 
perfume of hay, or hot dry vegetation, but the 
shore was too low to be seen, though we fancied 
once or twice that we saw the twinkle of Galle 
light, but I believe it was only the light of 
our fervent imaginations. 

Friday. Xoveniber 20. 

For two days the ship has pitched so much 
that upon one occasion I was tossed high in the 
air out of my bed, and should have fallen on the 

floor if L had not caught me. The wind is 

dead foul, and we have continued violent rain, 
the more annoying as, a fortnight since, by the 
captain's advice, we sent all our waterproof 
things down into the hold, as he said we had 
passed the region of rain. 

Sunday, Xovernber 22. 

The last two nights we have experienced a 
gentle, favourable wind in the right direction, 
while in the daytime we have floated in calm 



MALABAR COAST. 



49 



sunny waters. The mainland of India, a little to 
the north of Cape Comorin, was visible when we 
came on deck this morning, it being exactly three 
months since we last saw land — the Canaries — 
a weary while to gaze uninterruptedly at sea and 
sky. The shore is low, but some round hills 
in the background are a line of Ghauts, some 
distance inland. The rats are getting desperate. 
They nibble the soldiers' toes and ears during 
their sleep, and last night made a violent 
attempt to get into our cabin, happily without 
success ; but one of our neighbours spends most 
of her nights in waving an umbrella over her 
head to keep them off, and throwing light 
articles about the cabin to disturb their impudent 
gambols. The chloride of lime is all gone, so 
the odours from below may be better imagined 
than described ! 

Monday, November 23. 

We were only six miles from the Malabar 
coast this morning, and could distinguish very 
plainly a long line of jungle coming down to 
the water's edge, dotted here and there by a 
white house or pagoda. The trees, of a bluish 
green and very even height, did not appear very 
tall, except an occasional palm towering over 



50 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



the rest ; and the background was formed by 
the beautiful blue outline of the Ghauts. 
Several native boats were in sight, with their 
picturesque square sails; and a little rowing 
canoe made towards us, its crew of two men 
and a boy gesticulating violently as they 
approached, and flourishing curious paddles 
with round ends like spoons, and it soon 
appeared that they were bringing us fish for 
sale. They were very dark and entirely naked, 
excepting a cloth round their loins, with fierce, 
bad countenances, and altogether the most 
utterly savage looking creatures I ever saw ; 
and to add to their disgusting appearance their 
backs were covered with whitish blisters, and 
they kept constantly sprinkling themselves with 
salt, to alleviate the burning of the sun. They 
sold us a great flat fish called a Snapper, which 
we had for dinner, and some excellent sardines 
and a large barracouta were reserved for to- 
morrow. In the evening, the captain boarded 
a coasting vessel from Cochin, but the master 
knew no fresh military news, though it appears 
that in the north the war is by no means over. 
Our future appears very overcast and uncertain, 
but amid all our anxieties my only great fear is 
that of being obliged to be sent home. This 



NATIVE FISHERMEN. 



51 



evening a sailor fell overboard, but, as we were 
going slowly, he was soon hauled up, pro- 
videntially unhurt. 

Tuesday, November 24. 

Passed Allipee Eoads early, where some vessels 
were at anchor ; and after breakfast were boarded 
by another native fishing-boat, whose crew were 
far more respectable looking than those we saw 
yesterday, and wore white turbans and a kind 
of long apron. They were clean and intelligent, 
but most persevering beggars, being no sooner 
in possession of one present than they asked for 
another, and at last went away in the drollest 
variety of costumes. One man rejoiced in a 
white shirt, another in a pair of trousers, which 
he tied round his neck, whilst a third donned a 
waistcoat, and a fourth a hat, and all tied up 
their throats with old neckties. They had 
something to do with the harbour at Allipee, 
and said several troop-ships had passed up the 
coast, but too far off for them to board. 

Wednesday, November 25. 

An English trader, the " Cowasjee Family," 
from Macao to Bombay, signalled us this 
morning, and her captain and mate came off to 
e 2 



52 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



us in a smart little barge, as neat as a yacht 
boat, and manned by darkies in gay costumes. 
Their accounts of the war did not much differ 
from those we had previously heard. Our army 
is still besieged in Lucknow, but a large and 
daily increasing European force is being for- 
warded up the river from Calcutta for its relief. 
The distance of the seat of war from Bombay 
makes me hope that we may not be sent on 
immediate campaigning, as it would be a three 
months' march to get there. Some of us paid 
the " Cowasjee Family" a visit during the 
morning. She is a pretty little barque of 250 
tons, her captain taking such pride in the light, 
elegant shape of her sails that he cuts them out 
himself. Her crew numbered nearly twice as 
many as ours, the darkies being so lazy. We 
saw some of them at dinner, squatted round a 
large dish of rice, from which they helped them- 
selves with their fingers. All the ship's work 
was done to the music of a fiddle, and it was 
funny enough being hoisted over the side in a 
chair to the tune of " The Campbells are 
Coming." We were regaled with Tinta Madeira 
and delicious Manilla cakes, a jar of which, big 
enough to contain one of the forty thieves, the 
captain presented to us, besides some bananas 



THE COWASJEE FAMILY. 



53 



and white bread ; and a little transaction between 
the two skippers also put us in possession of in- 
numerable ducks and chickens, which, though 
skinny bantlings, will form a delightful addition 
to our impoverished commissariat, long since 
reduced to pork. Our dinner hour, delayed 
to-day till six o'clock, was an unusual pleasure, 
shortening the tedium of the long evening. 
The sunsets and sunrises for several days have 
been most gorgeous, the whole sky shaded from 
the deepest crimson to orange. 

Friday, November 27, 
The sea no longer retains the transparent 
blue of the ocean, but ever since we have been 
in soundings, has been of a thick, dullish green, 
and was covered this morning with white cuttle- 
fish, jelly-fish of a beautiful deep lilac, looking 
like bits of red cabbage, and several other 
curious mollusca and sea plants. Quantities of 
snakes may be seen each day, and great whales 
frollicking and jumping out of the water like 
kittens, and a shoal of young porpoises passed us 
to-day, tumbling heads over tail in the most ridi- 
culous manner, yet all keeping exactly in aline, 
and in their own places, like a school, as the 
sailors said. At night the water in my bath 



54 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



presented the most beautiful luminous appear- 
ance, which, when I lifted the sponge, made it 
seem to be stuck full of bright, green beads, 
which rolled off it as I squeezed out the water. 
We were close in shore all day, floating quietly 
along, and passed near Mount Delli, a beauti- 
ful hill on an island, with the remains of an old 
fort, and one of the first English settlements in 
India. It was a fine opportunity for sketching, 
the background being composed of the distant 
mountains, whose outlines are very picturesque. 
They appear to be of red earth, not rock, and 
are covered with luxuriant vegetation nearly to 
the summits, consisting of low shrubs, with here 
and there tall cocoa-nut trees. 

Sunday, November 29. 

The poor sergeant, who has been so long ill, 
died peacefully last evening, and we got up 
early to attend his funeral to-day. The proces- 
sion walked round the ship, carrying the body 
sewn up in a hammock, and covered with a 
union jack; and after the service was ended, 

which was as usual, performed by L , it was 

most sad and solemn to hear the splash of the 
corpse falling into the water, after which three 
volleys were fired. We had scarcely breakfasted, 



EXCITEMENT. 



55 



and were all dwelling more or less sadly upon 
the memory of the poor sergeant, thus early cut 
off, leaving a young wife, from whom he had 
parted in perfect health, to lament his loss, 
when we were roused by the appearance of a 
large steamer, apparently bearing down for us. 
The troops were immediately paraded for 
prayers, to secure uninterruption, and they were 
scarcely concluded, when the steamer hailed 
us, inquiring if any more troop -ships were near ; 
and on our replying in the negative, took a 
short cruise round to look for herself, and then 
announced that she was the " Assaye " man-of- 
war, sent to tow us to Bombay. We ladies 
were greatly relieved, for the most probable 
event had seemed to us, that the soldiers should 
be put on board the steamer, if they were 
urgently wanted, whilst the non-combatants 
should be left to follow slowly in the " Warrior 
Queen." However, such fears were groundless ; 
a rope and a few newspapers were thrown on 
board, and not even deigning to inquire the 
quality of our soldiers, the 4 ' Assaye" bore us 
out to sea on a straight course for Bombay. 
I have been suffering greatly for some days 
with an abscess in my ear, which leaves me 
stone deaf, and my face much swelled. 



56 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



CHAPTEK III. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OP BOMBAY — KIND RECEPTION— 
NATIVE TOWN — ARAB HORSES — MARRIAGE PEAST— 
ORDERED TO POONA ASCENT OP THE GHAUTS— CAYE 
TEMPLES OP EAR LEE JOURNEY TO POONA. 

Tuesday, December 1. 

Yesterday, being out of sight of land, there 
was nothing to note; but we all hurried on 
deck at an early hour this morning, to catch the 
first sight of Bombay. The line of coast as 
you approach is very pretty ; we passed three 
fleets of fishing-boats, and gradually came in 
view of the light-house, town, and harbour, 
where we cast anchor about ten o'clock. The 
Pilot relieved our fears of an insurrection, less 
by what he told us, than by his total unconcern, 
proving no immediate danger could be threaten- 
ing Bombay. We were soon beset with native 
boats, containing fruits, &c, and several Parsees, 
with their conical head-dresses, made of oilcloth, 
and quantities of servants, with written charac- 
ters, endeavoured to persuade us to hire them. 
The other officers and their wives went on shore 
to the houses of different friends, but my hus- 



SCENE FROM THE ARABIAN NIGHTS. 57 

band could not leave the ship till the arrival of 
the Colonel commanding. Meantime I en- 
deavoured to beguile the time by sketching, as 
the scenery of the harbour on all sides is lovely, 
and about one o'clock arrived the flag-lieutenant 
of the Commander-in-Chief, Indian navy, bring- 
ing a note, with a kind invitation to my husband 
and me to stay with the Commodore and Mrs 

W . I landed immediately, and had the 

happiness of getting our letters, and finding all 
well at home. After returning to the ship for 
clothes &c, I joined the W 's in the dock- 
yard, and finding it useless waiting for L , 

who would be detained on duty till late, it 
was settled that we should proceed to their 
house, which is situated four miles from Bom- 
bay, on Malabar Hill, and as they were on 
horseback, I went alone in the open carriage, ac- 
companied by two servants in white dresses, with 
red and gold sashes, and turbans. We drove 
across the esplanade, an open space near the 
shore, where, at this season, a great many Eng- 
lish live in tents, or temporary houses, — and 
then through the native town, where I almost 
fancied I was living in the time of the Arabian 
Nights' tales ! It was getting late, and the 
shops, or bazaars, open on one side to the street, 



'58 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



lighted by oil lamps of picturesque shape, with 
here and there a brilliant illumination of 
coloured lights, at some house of entertainment, 
with crowds of people in varied and brilliant 
costumes, together made up a scene so unlike 
any thing of real life I had ever met with, and 
so exciting, after the dreary monotony of our 
voyage, that I could scarcely credit my senses. 
We drove rapidly along, and soon came to the 
outskirts of the town, where the streets were 
succeeded by little villas, or bungalows, with 
brown overhanging roofs, or verandahs, situated 
amid groves of cocoa-palms, bananas, and gro- 
tesque-looking trees, stretching out their long, 
finger-like leaves in the brilliant light of a tropi- 
cal full moon. I was struck by the large trees, 
giving but little shade, being of the palm tribe, 
all stalk, with a tuft on the top ; whilst the 
growth of the smaller kinds resembled that of 
orange trees and camelias, and I remarked a 
shrub in the dockyard with splendid red flowers. 
It is all very strange and curious ; but odder far 
than the plants are the inhabitants. Some 
who, I was told, were women, had a long cloth, 
of red or blue, twisted round their bodies and 
down to their ancles on one side, whilst on the 
other it was looped up above the knee ; and, oh, 



A BUNGALOW. 



59 



the noise they make ! They keep up an in- 
cessant chatter like so many monkeys, all at 
once, in voices which, to European ears, are not 
in the least human, and the sound of their lan- 
guage bears more resemblance to a turkey's 
gobble than any thing else. 

To return to my drive. At last we came to 
Malabar Hill, a beautiful rocky promontory, 
between Back Bay and the sea, sprinkled with 
bungalows, standing in gardens, or compounds, 
as they are called. The ascent was steep, and 
soon after passing the brow of the hill, we 

drove to the one occupied by the W 's, 

where I was shown to my room, and soon 

after joined by L , who has been very 

busy all day, taking over the guns of a battery, 
with which he expects to be sent to Poona 
on Thursday, so we shall have to hire servants 
and get all we want to-morrow. The accounts 
from Lucknow and the north-west are still very 
bad, and troops are being hurried up from all 
sides as quickly as possible. This bungalow 
has a large porch to drive under, and a wide 
matted verandah running all round, into which 
the rooms open by jalousies, and which serves 
the purpose of a passage. You enter at once 
into the centre one of three sitting-rooms, which 



CO 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



are only divided by screens of red silk, set in 
frames of dark carved wood, of which all the 
furniture is composed, and which, in delicacy 
of execution and beauty of design, exceeds any 
carving of the kind I have ever seen. The ceil- 
ings are very lofty, and the walls white plaster. 
Our bedroom was at one end of the house, with a 
bath-room, containing enormous tubs, opening 
out of it. The beds stand in the middle of the 
rooms, and are enclosed by mosquito curtains 
at night. The dressing operations in this 
country appear to be conducted in the most 
primitive and public manner, with the blkids 
open to the verandah, along which the native 
servants are continually passing; and as the 
upper part of all the doors is open, every body 
hears what every body else says, all over the 
house. I need not dwell on the delights of 
again sitting down to a well-appointed English 
dinner; and, excepting a tart made of pine- 
apples and some tasteless sweet lemons at 
dessert, the dishes were very much like one's 
ordinary fare at home. In the evening I paid 
a visit to the baby, aged two months, asleep in 
her little cot under mosquito curtains; and 
squatted down in one corner of the room, 
wrapped in a white cloth, was her Amah, or 



VISIT FROM A JACKAL. 



61 



wet-nurse, a brown girl of about fifteen, wbo 
literally does nothing except perform the part 
of cow ; while crouched in another corner was 
baby's other attendant, a good-humoured look- 
ing black man, the bearer or Hamal, who per- 
forms all the duties of a nurse, and I was told 
they are reckoned much more trustworthy than 
the women. 

Wednesday, December 2. 

All night long we heard the watchman per- 
ambulating round the house, knocking at inter- 
vals on the ground with a large stick to show 
he was awake ; but, notwithstanding, we had 
a narrow escape of a disagreeable visitor, in the 
shape of a jackal, who, howling about the 
verandah, was pursued by our host, slipper in 
hand ; and as we were sleeping in ignorance of 
the vicinity of wild beasts, with the jalousies 
wide open, it is a mercy he did not take refuge 
in our room. Coffee was brought to us at 

seven, and soon after L had to go to the 

ship, and joined me later at the dockyard, 
whither I drove with the Commodore in his 
shigram — a charming little carriage, somewhat 
resembling a long, narrow, double brougham, 
with sliding sides instead of doors, and jalousies 
all round instead of windows. The authorities 



62 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



have by no means made up their minds what 
to do with the troops now they are arrived, and 
we were kept all day in a state of suspense as 
to whether the battery was to be sent to-morrow 
to Poona, or to the southern Mahratta country, 
or to the north into Guzerat, or be kept in 
barracks here. After many delays we were 
told that they had decided upon the latter 
measure, and that the troops were to be dis- 
embarked to-morrow. We amused ourselves 
for the rest of the day in driving about the 
streets of Bombay, which in itself is most 
entertaining. We passed several marriage-pro- 
cessions, headed by bands of music, and porters 
carrying presents, and trays full of flower-pots 
on their heads ; then came the principal people 
in grand array, covered with bangles, and rings 
in their noses and the upper part of their ears. 
According to their different castes, they put a 
spot of various-coloured paint between their 
eyes and on their ears, and it seems to be a 
fashionable mode of decoration for those who 
are slightly clothed, to mark the outline of their 
ribs with white paint. Some of the little black 
children are really pretty, with splendid eyes ; 
but it is rare to see a handsome man. I did 
not admire their figures, as they generally 



STREETS OF BOMBAY. 



63 



run to leg so exceedingly, resembling their own 
palm trees in being all stalk ; and though their 
limbs are supple, their movements are not 
graceful, stepping as if on hot iron, and their 
legs are generally bowed or knock-kneed. The 
palkee-bearers in particular have a singularly 
disagreeable shuffling gait, working one arm 
with the elbow bent, as if they were fiddling. 
The palkees resemble a coffin, with the perch 
of a crane-necked carriage fastened to either 
end, and are closed with sliding doors at the 
sides and jalousies all round. There appeared 
to be a great deal of merry-making going on 
in the town to-day, and one beautiful procession 
that passed us would have been worthy of 
the " Princess's." There were little children 
covered with jewels, mounted on horses splen- 
didly caparisoned, carriages and bullock carts 
full of people in brilliant array, bands of music, 
&c, till one's eyes ached with the bright and 
curious scene. We passed through narrow 
streets of the oddest-looking houses, composed 
of several stories, each with its latticed veran- 
dah, painted green or red, with pretty coloured 
borders, mixed with a few commoner buildings 
of white plaster with brown overhanging roofs, 
whilst all the ground floors consist of open 



64 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



shops called bazaars, in which the owners squat 
on their haunches, smoking hookahs. The 
Parsees (or fire- worshippers), originally of 
Persian descent, are the richest and most 
enterprising class of merchants, and in other 
respects, besides their hooked noses and sallow 
complexions, resemble the Jews of Europe. 
They wear a long white dressing-gown, with 
smart silk trousers and the peculiar head-dress 
mentioned before, and the men are in general 
remarkably fat. The Muhammedans and Hindus 
wear different kinds of turbans to distinguish 
their class, and the fresh spots of paint on the 
foreheads of the latter signify that they have 
performed an act of worship that day. The 
women wear a long garment called a saree, 
composed of twelve yards of stuff wound round 
them and gathered up in folds at the waist, 
hanging low at the side, with one end thrown 
round the head and shoulder. It is wonderful 
that it never becomes displaced, and it is a 
very becoming and graceful dress. Under this 
they wear a jacket with short waist and sleeves. 
The Coolie women of the low castes tuck up 
their sarees in bunches between their legs, 
which are bare far above the knee, and the 
result is a very waddling gait. The Parsee 



HORSE DEALING. 



65 



women may be distinguished by a white band 
across their foreheads, entirely hiding the hair. 
The higher orders of Muhammedans shut up 
their women; but the others, as well as the 
Hindus and Parsees, go about the streets as 
freely as Europeans. Both sexes wear pointed 
slipper's turned up at the toes, frequently em- 
broidered in gold and colours. Many Parsees 
have adopted the European shoe with white 
stockings, a very ugly accompaniment to their 
dress. The Coolies — carrying about curious- 
looking copper vessels, either on their heads, 
or suspended from a bamboo placed across the 
shoulder, or balanced on the five fingers of 
their left hand held aloft — again reminded me, 
as indeed did the whole scene, of the "Arabian 
Nights." During the afternoon we went to 
several of the Arab horse-dealers, where we saw 
quantities of young unbroken horses, most of 
them in wretched condition and many lame 
from their recent voyage, few exceeding four- 
teen hands in height, and none with any action; 
and for these they ask from 100/. to 200/., and 
the present demand is so great that it will be 
difficult to meet with any thing better or cheaper. 
On our return to Malabar Hill, we found our 
host's horses grouped under the porch taking 

F 



66 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



their evening meal, each out of his own pail 
and led by his own groom. This plan is very 
generally adopted, to prevent the attendants 
themselves taking the corn intended for the 
horses. 

Thursday, December 3. 

No orders to disembark, but L busy 

all day on board ship. I went in the afternoon 
to see a wedding feast in the house of one 
of the principal Hindu merchants, who was 
father to the bridegroom. The whole front of 
the house was hung with quantities of lamps 
(though it was broad daylight), and there were 
rows of chairs for the guests, both in the street 
and in a balcony hung with Persian carpets 
and surmounted by a coloured awning. The 
rooms were very small and without furniture, 
except two or three European sofas, and were 
crowded with the male sex, all in white, with 
handsome turbans and sashes, and some carry- 
ing splendid shawls on their arms. The ladies 
soon began to arrive, dressed in gorgeous silk 
sarees, principally crimson or orange, with 
gold borders. They were shy and endeavoured 
to cover their faces as they passed us ; but we 
could discern their large black eyes (their only 
beauty) and the large jewels in their ears and 



HINDU MARRIAGE. 67 

noses. They all wore enormous bangles, en- 
tirely covering their ankles and wrists. Some 
of the children were very pretty, the lustre of 
their great eyes heightened by a broad dark 
line painted round them. They were dressed 
in dressing-gowns of either silk and gold, or 
fine muslin over silk, and their little necks 
covered by rows of pearls, to which were sus- 
pended large emerald and diamond ornaments; 
gold or silver turbans, and a curious jewel 
fastened in the centre of the forehead; nose, 
and ear-rings of equal splendour, whilst they 
seemed hardly able to move under the weight 
of their bracelets and bangles. They were 
brought to the feast on horseback, held on by 
servants, the trappings of the animals being 
composed of gold or silver, with high metal 
peaks to the saddles. The little creatures had 
long hair hanging down their backs, and were 
invariably of a grave and solemn countenance, 
bowing occasionally to the passing crowd. Each 
guest was presented with a painted wooden 
fan and a bouquet of flowers, and rose-water 
and eau de Cologne were poured over us. 
Betel nuts wrapped in gold leaf were also given 
to each person in token of friendship. In an 
inner room some Nauch girls were singing a 
f 2 



68 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



most monotonous chant to the accompaniment 
of two odd-looking fiddles and drums. They 
were dressed in full short skirts and trousers of 
yellow and gold, with a black and gold saree 
thrown over their heads and shoulders, and 
their so-called dancing consisted solely in sway- 
ing from side to side, without changing their 
places, and clinking their anklets together. A 
little of this entertainment went a great way, 
and we soon took leave and drove to an open 
square to see the procession pass. It consisted 
of the ladies and children we had seen before 
in the house, mounted on horseback and in 
carriages, preceded by torch-bearers and followed 
by Ooolies carrying presents and flower-pots. 
The bride and bridegroom rode together in the 
centre, dressed in cloth of gold, and had fine 
umbrellas carried over them. The bride carried 
a cocoa-nut in her hand — an emblem of fecun- 
dity; her age was nine, whilst the boy-husband 
numbered eleven years. They will live apart 
with their respective parents for three years; 
but if the boy dies his child-widow can never 
marry again — a few years ago she would have 
been burned ! The religious ceremonies con- 
nected with the betrothals or marriages are 
strictly private ; but these public processions 



RAILWAY JOURNEY. 



69 



and entertainments go on for three days, and, 
with the presents, cost a family like this about 

4000/. On L 's return in the evening, he 

brought the order for his battery to proceed 
towards Poona by rail to-morrow evening. 

Friday, December 4. 

After a little necessary shopping, I had an 
early dinner in the dockyard, and then pro- 
ceeded to the railway station to meet L 

and the troops ; and such a scene of hopeless 
confusion as I then encountered I had never 
before witnessed ! The train had been ordered 
for five o'clock, but the soldiers did not dis- 
embark till after that hour, excepting the 

baggage guard under my cousin B , who 

had been all day at the station; and, what 
with the jabbering of the natives, and hopeless 
dawdling of the railway officials, we did not 
get off till past seYen. The other company 
of Eoyal Artillery, who had been our shipmates, 
also accompanied us; but the troop of 3rd 
Dragoon Guards remained for the present in 
Bombay. The railway carriages and engines, 
and nearly every thing connected with the hue, 
are English, including the post and rail-fence 
and gates ; but very un-English were the voices 



70 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



of the large population of frogs who have their 
abode in the marshes and lowlands we traversed 
on leaving Bombay. As it was dark when we 
started, we could see nothing of the country 
till the moon arose and found us approaching 
the foot of the Ghauts, at whose base the Cam- 
poolee Station is situated, where we arrived at 
eleven o'clock p.m. The railway at present 
ends here ; but great works are in progress, by 
which it will be carried in a tunnel through the 
hills, and form a connected line all the way to 
Poona. On getting out at Campoolee, and 
finding that the guns and baggage had to be 
drawn up the Ghaut by bullocks, and that this 
operation would probably take the whole night, 
I determined to proceed at once with my maid 
to the travellers' bungalow on the top. Palkees 
had been ordered for me beforehand, but I had 
some difficulty in persuading the owner of my 
identity. He was the wildest-looking individual 
I ever saw, with magnificent eyes, and squatting 
down in front of me under a red and yellow 
blanket, commenced quietly arguing the point 
in excellent English. As soon as I had suc- 
ceeded in convincing him that I was I, we 
started, accompanied by an old Muhammedan 
butler we had engaged, mounted on a white 



ASCENT OF GHAUT. 



71 



pony, and followed by a table servant and boy, 
who were to be part of our establishment, and 
a set of wild-looking savages, carrying various 
carpet-bags and boxes, and enveloped in dark 
blankets thrown over their heads, for the night 
was cold. The ascent must be very beautiful 
by daylight, the road winding along rocky 
ravines, dotted with large trees, amidst a tangle 
of shrubs and creepers. Our progress was con- 
stantly impeded by long trains of bullock carts 
employed in the railway service, and the dust 
was very great. At last the monotonous motion 
of the palkee sent me to sleep, and on awaking 
I found we were arrived at the bungalow, which 
consisted of several large rooms with sand 
floors, furnished with a tolerably clean bed in 
each, a table, and some chairs. As it was now 
half-past two, I was very tired and glad to lie 
down, and slept soundly till seven o'clock. 

Saturday, December 5. 
I was awakened by the advent of the doctor 
and another officer, who, not being very well, 
had come on in advance. The others, with the 
battery, did not arrive till twelve o'clock at 
noon, having had thirteen hours hard work in 
getting the guns up the Ghaut, with nothing 



72 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



to eat since they left the ship yesterday. Both 
officers and men were quite exhausted, and 
suffering from inflamed eyes caused by the 
extreme dust, which appears to be a great 
source of annoyance in this country; and as 
the floors of the bungalows are mud, and are 
being continually swept by the servants with 
little hand-brooms, there is nearly as much 
dust inside the house as out of it. I persuaded 

L ^ go to bed directly he had breakfasted, 

and I established myself in the verandah, sketch- 
ing the pretty view. When it grew cool we 
walked through a native village, swarming with 
uncouth inhabitants, to the soldiers' quarters, 
which consisted of open sheds built round three 
sides of a square, and are called pendalls, and 
are erected along the principal roads for the 
accommodation of troops on the line of march. 

L and I have two rooms in the travellers' 

bungalow, and the other officers are scattered 
about in different houses ; three of them dined 
with us, and we got very good food from a mess- 
man, whose business is to provide for those 
travellers who do not bring their own food. 
The monotonous music of a Nauch has been 
going on all day in the village, indicative of the 
progress of some festivities. 



SCRAMBLE OVER THE HILLS. 73 



Sunday, December 6. 

Hurried up to go to the barracks, where 

L read the service to the men formed up 

in square, at half-past seven. Our morning 
was spent looking over a file of home news- 
papers, full of the horrors lately perpetrated in 
this country, the repetition of which is quite 
sickening. May God preserve us from similar 
outrages ! In the afternoon, after reading the 
Church Service, we sallied forth on ponies, 
a party of four, to explore the country. We 
passed near a country house belonging to the 
old Parsee baronet, Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, 
situated at the foot of a remarkable hill, called 
the Duke of Wellington's Nose, from a strong 
resemblance which its outline bears to that 
hero's nasal organ, and who himself encamped 
at its foot during his Mahratta campaign. We 
then ascended some high ground commanding 
a magnificent view along the line of railway 
and the old Bombay road, the ranges of Ghauts 
appearing piled one behind the other in endless 
numbers stretching across the distant plains. 
On crossing the high road we fell in with a 
Scotch engineer employed on the railway works, 
who, with his wife and two little children, lived 
in a small temporary bungalow close by. He 



74 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



was a remarkably intelligent man, and took us 
to see the mouth of the great tunnel, to which 
we had to scramble down an almost perpen- 
dicular cliff forming one side of a narrow dark 
ravine, which is to be crossed by the railroad. 
It will be a triumph of engineering art when 
finished, which is not expected to be for three 
years. The rocks forming these Ghauts are 
basaltic and their shapes most extraordinary, 
some being scarped as if cut with a knife, 
whilst the summits of many are broken into 
masses resembling the towers of a castle ; 
others are pointed like a tent, and others again 
perfectly flat and straight at the top, while on 
all, lines of black strata run horizontally across 
the red sandstone at regular elevations, traceable 
throughout the whole range. The engineer 
complained of the desperate hardness of the 
rock, and gave us beautiful specimens of crystals 
of quartz, and stalactites found in the tunnel. 
The ravine was covered with a thick jungle of 
a sort of shrub resembling a Portugal laurel, 
mixed with prickly pear, and some large mango 
trees, whose growth is not unlike that of the 
walnut, and among whose branches small green 
monkeys chattered and leaped about. A few 
years ago tigers and other wild beasts abounded 



NATIVE VILLAGE. 



75 



in the jungles ; but they have gradually been 
driven away by the noises of engineering life, 
blasting the rock and excavating the earth, 
though our friend told us that within a year 
a dog had been carried off by a cheetah from 
the door of his bungalow. The surface of the 
ground is covered with coarse burnt-up grass, 
now quite yellow; but in the rainy season it 
must be beautifully green. I did not see any 
flowers ; in fact, every thing has a scorched and 
dusty appearance, . even so early in the dry 
season as this. A funny little pickle of a brown 
boy accompanied our ponies, who was as sharp 
as a needle, and whose delight was in being 
taught to say English words, which he repeated 
after us with peals of merry laughter. He is 
the first native child I have seen to smile; 
they are usually as grave as judges, even in 
their amusements. About a dozen other little 
imps followed in our train, and when I dis- 
mounted to sketch, squatted all round me on 
the ground, one holding an umbrella over my 
head, and I must say they were less disagreeable 
in such close vicinity, than English beggar-boys 
would have been. We passed several native 
villages — collections of huts with low thatched 
roofs and sides, having no attempt at regularity 



76 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



and no chimneys, (as all cookery is performed 
on stones outside,) so that they resembled a 
group of large haycocks ; and though extremely 
untidy, they were not unsweet. In fact, the 
people wear so few clothes, and wash so much, 
that they are not so fusty as the lower orders 
of Europeans. Some of the most ragged had 
gold bangles and handsome nose rings. The 
slippers worn by the country people have cloven 
feet, which has an odd appearance. It was 
dark when we got home to dinner, and bed. 

Monday, December 7. 

The troops marched at five a.m., but I waited 
till after daylight and started at seven with my 
maid in a rough sort of open carriage, miscalled 
a phaeton, drawn by a pair of horses ; and before 
we started one kicked himself completely out of 
harness, so that I was obliged to insist on his 
being changed. Besides a coachnian, we were 
accompanied by a ghorrawalla, or horse-keeper, 
on foot, who kept the road clear by continual 
shouting, with a peculiar dwelling on the final 
vowel, as he ran by the side of the horses. 
The attire of both consisted of a red and white 
turban, and a kind of cloak made of a long, 
coarse, grey blanket, with the two sides sewn 



JOURNEY TO KARLEE. 



77 



together, forming a hood, which all the country 
people hang on their heads in the cold morn- 
ings, and the long ends either float loosely 
behind them or are gathered together in one 
hand nnder the chin. Under this scanty gar- 
ment they wear nothing, except a cloth hound 
round their loins. The road ascended gently 
for a mile or two to the top of the Ghaut, and 
then continued tolerably level along an un- 
cultivated plain between the hills, sprinkled 
with shrubby trees and covered with long dry 
grass, affording pasturage to large herds of 
cattle and sheep ; and here were we, two solitary 
Englishwomen, jogging along quite alone and in 
perfect confidence, through the heart of the 
wild Mahratta country, and among a set of 
savage-looking people, not one word of whose 
language could we understand ! The road was 
encumbered by long trains of carts and pack 
bullocks, carrying materials for the railway, 
large bales of cotton, and baskets of vegetables 
from Poona, and the dust was horrible. Our 
journey was a short one, and we arrived at the 
bungalow at Karlee at nine, where we found the 
troops encamped. The accommodation was 
not extensive for so large a party ; but we got 
plenty to eat, and these places are very clean 



78 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



and free from insects. In the afternoon we set 
out to walk to the hills to see some cave tem- 
ples greatly renowned. The path across the 
plain led through what were apparently rice 
fields, intersected by small ditches for the pur- 
pose of irrigation, and then commenced a severe 
ascent among large boulders of rock, between 
which bushes of cacti grew in great luxuriance, 
with a few groups of large trees. The path 
was a zigzag and very steep, formed in many 
places from old steps cut in the rock; and, 
after mounting for about a mile and a half, we 
came suddenly upon a sight which amply repaid 
us for all our trouble. Before us stood, almost 
as perfect as if it had been finished yesterday, 
a very large old Hindoo temple excavated in 
the solid rock. The style reminded me of the 
Nineveh remains, the portico in front being 
composed of gigantic pillars, surmounted by 
elaborate cornices, and the wall covered with 
friezes consisting of figures of the double god 
Vishnu, having along the bottom a row of 
elephants with howdahs on their backs. On 
entering we found ourselves in a long, lofty, 
arched hall, the sides consisting of pillars, 
having figures of the god and the elephants at 
the top and bottom, and at the end was a 



CAVE TEMPLES. 



79 



round shrine with a dome supporting a repre- 
sentation of a large fish. The whole carving 
was sharp and delicate, and hardly at all 
broken. The large temple appears to have 
been some time abandoned for purposes of 
worship ; but outside there is a small square 
one in present use, which we were allowed to 
peep into, not enter. Over a small altar there 
was a painting of the god in a red robe, with 
large goggle eyes, on a gilt background, and the 
shrine bore a painful resemblance to a road-side 
Koman Catholic Chapel. There were several 
smaller caves above, and on the sides of the 
great temple, but without carving, and a stream 
of delicious water dripped over the front of one 
of them. We were dreadfully pestered by 
crowds of beggars, several of whom, watching 
for our arrival, had marked us as their prey ; 
and during our ascent of the mountain, one 
insisted on handing me up the steep parts 
with his cold clammy hand, whilst a second 
pushed me under the shoulder, and a third 
took possession of my umbrella, while at the 
top they were joined by a disgusting old woman 
and a tribe of children, and all clamoured for 
backshish, and worried us to death after they 
had emptied our pockets of every coin. At 



80 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



last we got rid of them by drawing their atten- 
tion to one of our friends whom we saw begin- 
ning the ascent, and who, we assured them, 
was a very rich Sahib, and they instantly 
fastened upon him, whilst we made our escape 
down the mountain. I was very tired with my 
unwonted exertions after such a long repose on 
shipboard, and glad to accept the offer of a 
mount upon a friend's pony across the plain 
home. We dined at half-past six, and imme- 
diately after went to bed. 

Tuesday, December 8. 

I was awoke at half-past two to have our 
bed packed up to go with the baggage, so I 

rolled myself up in L 's military cloak, 

in which I got another two hours' sleep. The 
soldiers marched at three, but I did not follow 
them till six, and then passed them before 
arriving at our halting place, Wurgawm — a 
distance of twelve miles. The drive was very 
pretty, winding at the foot of the hills, along 
an excellent road bordered by bushes of cactus, 
in the centre of which small trees were planted. 
We crossed the dry beds of several torrents, 
and in one place the water was collected into 
the semblance of a fine river for a short distance. 



BUFFALOES. 



81 



The plain, not a very wide one, was varied with 
patches of cultivation among the pasture land, 
and dotted with many native camps and villages, 
in one of which we changed horses. There 
was a good deal of traffic on the road ; the 
carts were drawn by very small oxen of various 
colours, some pretty thorough-bred looking 
creatures, whilst others were very miserable in 
appearance, with mis-shapen horns ; but the 
most frightful of all domesticated animals is 
the Indian buffalo, used for draught indis- 
criminately with oxen. His sloping withers, 
without a hump, long head (which he carries 
chin in air), and straight horns turned the 
wrong way, so long that they look like gig 
shafts, and entirely prevent his turning his 
head, give him a remarkably ungainly appear- 
ance ; and his beauty is not improved by his 
dirty habits, and his hairless India-rubber skin. 
I have occasionally seen a white buffalo, a still 
more hideous animal — like a huge pig with 
horns. Several natives we passed on the road 
wore arms. Whilst breakfast was preparing 
I strolled about, examining the curious plants 
and flowers, all so new to me, and in gathering 
some fruit of the prickly pear got my fingers 
full of its thorns. The guns and wagons be- 



82 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



longing to the batteries are each drawn by 
eight or ten oxen, and accompanied by carts 
for the baggage, and dhoolies, a light sort of 
palhee for the transport of the sick or tired, 
the whole surrounded by hundreds of chattering 
natives. This afternoon I took a long scramble 
with two of our friends up a mountain and 
along the side of a ravine, till, on turning a 
corner, we found ourselves overlooking quite 
another part of the plain, dotted with singular 
detached hills, surmounted by forts. We 
found many curious plants and stones, and the 
whole soil appears to be impregnated with 
copper, every stone in many places being cased 
in bright green ; which, when found embedded 
in masses of clay, has a very pretty effect. 
We had to run home as fast as possible, to be 
in time for dinner, passing through the village 
where was a temple; but the door was shut, 
and squatted outside was a most forbidding- 
looking old priest with a grey beard. 

Wednesday, December 9. 

The stage this morning, about the same 
length as yesterday, took us to a place called 
Nigree, through a less interesting country, the 
plain having widened and being very bare, 



NESTS OF TAILOR-BIRD. 83 

except a few patches of green rice. Here and 
there were odd-looking detached hills crowned 
with forts, and a river was seen winding in the 
distance. The morning was cold and windy, 
and I was glad to cover myself with the mili- 
tary cloak; whilst my head was encased in a 
sun topee — a sort of dust-coloured helmet with 
a white turban rolled round it. In order to 
protect their heads from the sun, the soldiers 
wear white quilted covers to their forage caps, 
with deep curtains all round, only wanting the 
addition of a piece of black ribbon round the 
crown to resemble exactly an old woman's 
nightcap. Two nests of the tailor-bird were 
found to-day by some of the party. At a 
distance they look like a bunch of hay hanging 
from the bough of a tree, but on a closer in- 
spection are found to be made of a number of 
fibres and roots closely woven together into a 
bag, open at one end, and with the other ending 
in a point. One nest was very neatly lined 
with cotton, and bits of fringe, apparently stolen 
from an old towel! Many very large kites, 
some brown, others black and white, one vul- 
ture, and many green paroquets and smaller 
birds were seen to-day; and in some places the 
telegraph wire, which runs by the side of the 
g 2 



84 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



road, was covered with long rows of them. 
To-day we passed one or two cross roads ; 
hitherto our road has been the only one we 
have seen, and could be traced for a long 
distance over the plain by a line of trees. 
An officer of Bombay Artillery, travelling to 
Bombay with his wife and two pale little 
children, with their Ayahs, came to rest during 
the heat of the day in the bungalow, and I 
gave up my room to them. In the evening 
we walked to see some beautiful temples about 
a mile off, situated in a grove of magnificent 
banyan trees, whose bunches of hanging roots 
looked like long hair suspended from their 
branches, and the whole place was enclosed by 
thick hedges of prickly pear. The large tem- 
ples were crowned with domes, beautifully sculp- 
tured ; in one was an altar, with a niche con- 
taining an idol painted red and two side places 
for lights; in front of another was a kind of 
porch covering a statue of the Sacred Bull. 

Thursday, December 10. 

Left Nigree at half-past six, and had a 
beautiful drive to Poona through a much more 
wooded and cultivated country, with a line of 
fine hills in front of us ; and, as we neared the 



ARRIVE IN POONA. 



85 



old metropolis of the Deccan, roads multiplied 
and pretty little bungalows with luxuriant gar- 
dens sprung up, and before entering the canton- 
ment we passed by a fine bridge over the 
Moola-Mootra river. I overtook the troops 
just before reaching the lines, and with some 
difficulty found my way to a bungalow which 
had been prepared for us in the 3rd European 
lines by the kindness of a friend, who sent his 
own servants to prepare our breakfast. The 
morning was spent unpacking and settling — 
very difficult work with strange Hindus, who 
have no method in their work, and begin half 
a dozen things at once, which they never finish, 

but run off to something else. L and his 

officers were invited to an entertainment by the 
Bombay Artillery, whilst I was kindly asked to 
an early dinner by the wife of the officer com- 
manding, and in the evening we drove through 
the Sudder Bazaar (or shops for Europeans), 
a picturesque street of low houses, planted with 
rows of trees like a boulevard, to a piece of 
w r ater called the Bund, a favourite resort of an 
evening, where carriage and riding parties meet 
and converse, and return home by lamp or 
moonlight. 



86 



LIFE IN INDIA. 

H 



CHAPTER IV. 

ENGLISH CHUECH — MILITARY BUSINESS — CITY OF POONA 

TEMPLE OE PABBUDDEE CHEISTMAS NATIVE 

CONYEBTS BULLOCK CAEBIAGES EXPEDITION TO 

SLNGHUB. 

Friday, December 11. 

Hired a palkee to go to the post-office and 
other places. You engage them for six hours, 
and use them as much or as little as you please 
for the sum of one shilling and threepence, 
English. I do not dislike the motion for a 
short distance ; but one feels remarkably help- 
less and at the mercy of the bearers, of whose 
language you are in total ignorance. Our 
house was beset all day with horse-dealers, who 
came galloping round the garden to show off 
their steeds ; and a Borah, or travelling mer- 
chant, brought his box of wares, which com- 
prised a little of every thing, from pickles and 
soap, to silks, muslins, and stationery, but were 
not very inviting. 

Sunday, December 13. 

It was a great pleasure again to find our- 



ENGLISH CHURCH. 



87 



selves within the walls of a church, which, 
though the morning service was at eleven, was 
much cooler than an English one, as all the 
doors and windows were open, or closed only 
by jalousies. The seats are all elbow chairs, 
placed in rows, with desks before them, and are 
very roomy and comfortable. The Holy Sacra- 
ment was administered, and as it is not cus- 
tomary to carry money, from the inconvenience 
of the size and weight of the rupees, a pencil 
and slips of paper are handed round, on which 
people write their names and the amount of 
their donations, which are collected at their 
houses afterwards. Sunday here is very dif- 
ferent to what we are accustomed to at home ; 
you are plagued by itinerant dealers of all 
kinds : of course business goes on as usual in 
the bazaars, and I am afraid our countrymen 
too often take advantage of their residence 
among the heathen to forget the obligation 
of keeping the Fourth Commandment. The 
evening church was at half-past five, to which 
I walked with my husband; and as darkness 
soon set in, the church was lighted by quanti- 
ties of tumblers containing a wick burning in 
cocoa-nut oil, which is the common light used 
for passages or bedrooms. It was very difficult 



88 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



to find our way home across the rough ground 
of the common, or maidan, as it is called. 

Monday, December 14. 

The other battery which had accompanied us 
from England, was to-day marched up country 
to be formed into a siege train, for service in 
Central India. Poor Mrs. , who re- 
mained behind in Bombay, thinking to rejoin 
her husband in a few days, may now be 
separated from him for as long as the war 
lasts! We hired a bullock-gharry for some 
visits and shopping. They are a sort of tilted 
cart drawn by a pair of bullocks, whose tails 
undergo a vast deal of twisting from the driver 
in order to make them go on. There is a hill 
at the back of the cantonment called the Hill of 
Silence, surmounted by a tower, on the top of 
which the Parsees lay their dead, on a grating. 
Here the birds pick off the flesh, and in time 
the bones fall through on a heap beneath. The 
place is considered sacred, and an order exists 
forbidding any soldier to ascend it. The vul- 
tures, kites, and other birds who perform the 
office of scavengers, besides fattening on the 
deceased followers of Zoroaster, are not allowed 
to be destroyed, and are shockingly tame, 



RIDING IN THE DARK. 



89 



scarcely hopping out of your way when engaged 
in their disgusting meals. I have been riding 
my little chestnut Arab, whose paces are de- 
lightful, though he is quite uneducated, and it 
is remarkable how safely these horses carry you 
over the most rocky, broken ground, though 
they often stumble in their walk on smooth 
grass. Military bands play several times in 
the week, at band- stands on the Maidan, where 
lamps are lighted, and here all the fashion of 
Poona assemble, but I cannot yet reconcile my- 
self to the habit of riding home in the dark 
across the rough ground of the plain. 

Thursday, December 17. 

I generally walk or ride for an hour or two 
at six in the morning, returning at eight to 
dress for breakfast, by which time the sun is 
powerful, though the wind is cold, rather like 
fine March weather at home. This morning I 
walked to the ruins of Scindiah's Palace, which, 
like most native houses, was only built of stucco, 
but must have been handsomely painted and 
ornamented. It was built round an open court, 
and enclosed in a large walled outer courtyard. 
It was two stories high, and had little belvideres 
on the roof; in one of the upper rooms there 



90 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



are remains of fresco paintings on the walls, 
representing fights and hunting scenes. In 
point of art they are much on a par with the 
Nineveh pictures, but it is very remarkable that 
the complexions of all the people are fair. I 
believe it is common to all native paintings, and 
that they do not allow themselves to be a black 
race. Some figures in green jackets and red 
trousers were apparently meant to be British 
soldiers, defeated by the superior armies of the 

Mahrattas ! L had a great deal of business 

to transact at the different military offices, which 
are scattered about miles apart at the several 
private residences of the officials, and the going 
about from one to another consumes a great 
deal of valuable time ; but this is a mere trifle 
in the mass of troubles besetting an unfortunate 
English officer, ignorant of the language and of 
Indian ways, landed in the country, and ordered 
to form a battery. As every thing is done on 
the contract system, each commanding officer has 
to purchase wholesale his own hides, iron, wood, 
hemp, and cotton, besides thousands of smaller 
necessaries, and make the best bargain he can 
with the native saddlers, smiths, carpenters, 
and rope-makers; all which has to be done 
among a set of the most cheating, lying people 



KIRKEE. 



91 



in the world; and you are dependent on your 
servant, or any stray Mend, for acting as inter- 
preter between you and them, and sorely do the 
savages try one's temper in every department. 
We went to dine at Kirkee this evening, a 
cavalry depot, about five miles from Poona, 

L at the mess of the 3rd Dragoon Guards, 

and I with Mrs. F . Our driver lost his 

way, and we wandered about till we despaired 
of ever getting any dinner, and when he stopped 
any passer-by to ask his way, it invariably ended 
by a chatter for ten minutes at the top of their 
voices, and our proceeding none the wiser as to 

our road. The F 's bungalow has only an 

upper floor, with stores below, and consists of 
two large bed-rooms, surrounded by an enclosed 
verandah, which is screened off into other apart- 
ments. Whilst L was at dinner at the 

mess, a remarkably fine-looking, high caste 
Hindu servant was pointed out to him, stand- 
ing behind the chair of his master, Col. A , 

of the 14th Light Dragoons. This man had been 
one of the ringleaders of the mutineers, and was 
intended by them to have been made brigadier 
at Poona. He was tried by court-martial some 
months ago, and acquitted for want of evidence. 
One should have thought him a dangerous ser- 
vant, perhaps too dangerous to discharge. 



92 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Saturday, December 19. 

Yesterday, the guns left behind by Captain 
Ommanney were sent to the Arsenal, drawn by 
bullocks, and as most of the animals were un- 
broken it was a trying business to get them there. 
As fast as one pair was induced to go on, the next 
was sure to jib or bolt; and as they were terrified 
at the sight of a uniform, they frequently slipped 
their heads out of the yoke, and caracolled over 
the plain, pursued by shrieking drivers, till both 
parties were tired. It took altogether three hours 
to get the guns to the Arsenal, a distance of one 

mile. L was field officer on duty last night, 

and had to ride round the guards after eleven 
o'clock. He was accompanied by three little 
black drummer-boys from a native regiment, 
and as the distance was five miles, it took some 
time, and I felt rather nervous before his return, 
at half-past one. It is the custom in India for 
all the gentlemen in a station to call on the 
newly arrived ladies, and I was considerably 
amused and surprised at first, at my morning 
levees of officers in full uniform, with their 
swords on, who invariably drove up to the door 
in close carriages, and generally came in pairs, 
and introduced one another. I am not yet re- 
conciled to the hours for visits being so early — 



POONA CITY. 



93 



between eleven and two ; but the plan of sending 
in your card, that no mistake may be made in 
your name, is an excellent one. 

Monday, December 21. 
We rode this evening through the ancient 
city of Poona, two miles from the canton- 
ment, and quite distinct from the European 
town, or Sudder Bazaar, which has merely 
sprung up to supply the wants of the station. 
The city is one of the oldest in India, and its 
population numbers about 140,000— more or 
less unruly, and only kept in order by the large 
military force in cantonment. The inhabitants 
were disarmed a short time ago, but are sup- 
posed to have concealed a great many weapons. 
The houses, whose ground floors are low open 
shops (where the merchants squat as usual 
among their goods), have upper stories with 
quaint carved lattices, and walls painted in 
fresco, and must once have been as handsome 
as stucco and painting can be ; but now all the 
better sort are falling into decay, and many 
temples and tombs with which the city was 
embellished, are heaps of ruins. We peeped 
into gateways opening into courtyards of what 
must once have been splendid houses, and 



94 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



beheld fountains and gardens beyond, such as 
one reads of in Eastern story. The streets 
were crowded with people, chiefly on foot, in 
every variety of Oriental costume. They were 
perfectly civil and well behaved, though re- 
garding us with curiosity, as it is very rare for 
any Sahib, more especially a lady, to enter the 
city, and we did not see a single European in 
traversing the city from end to end. The 
richest natives, Parsees, &c, live chiefly in 
bungalows in the suburbs ; and in one which 
we passed, a grand house in a garden, orna- 
mented with avenues of cypress trees, lives, 
under the care of a guard of honour, one of the 
ex- Ameers of Scinde — a state prisoner on 
parole. Some of the prettiest shops in the city 
were the braziers', with their rows of quaint 
copper and brass vessels, arranged in gradation 
one above another. The shops for native 
bracelets were also curious. Most of them are 
made of coloured glass, some dark blue or 
green, others yellow, with bits of tinsel stuck 
on to look like gold. They have no fastenings, 
and are forced over the hand, and remain on 
till they are broken. We remarked an old 
Fakir prostrating himself in the dust, and re- 
peating prayers in a very loud tone ; and by 



NATIVE PAINTINGS. 



95 



the wayside were numerous little chapels, con- 
taining rude images of gods (frequently only a 
lump of stone painted red), with lamps burning 
before them, painfully reminding one of Eoman 
Catholic stations. The city of Poona lies low 
on the banks of the river, which is almost 
entirely dry at this season, and the houses are 
so embosomed in trees, that at a distance it 
cannot be distinguished as a town. The 
bed of the river is crossed by several bridges, 
and the rocky sides of the ravines, overhung by 
banyan trees, are very picturesque ; and dhobies 
(or washermen) in gay turbans may be seen 
beating their clothes in every pool. Some of 
the paintings on the houses were amusing 
enough. On one , a Highlander was very tolerably 
represented, whilst on another a wrestling match 
between a brown and a white man was the 
subject, and tigers carrying off children in their 
mouths seemed a general favourite. The 
execution of these designs could scarcely vie 
with that of the Nineveh paintings. 

Tuesday, December 22. 
We started on horseback soon after six, and 
rode to the foot of the hill of Parbuddee, about 
three miles, accompanied by the ghorrawallas 



96 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



running by us, to hold the horses. We dis- 
mounted and climbed up an easy flight of steps 
to the top of the hill, on which the temples stand. 
There are three principal ones, crowned with 
handsome domes, carved and gilt, besides seve- 
ral smaller chapels, and the ruins of a large 
Brahminical Monastery, or College, which, 
though fallen to decay, has still a large income 
belonging to it, paid by the English Government ! 
One temple is dedicated to the god Siva, who 
is represented in a car, drawn by a horse 
with seven heads ; another is sacred to Yishnu, 
whose image was being adorned for the day, by 
the officiating Priest, just as we entered, and 
we saw his dirty turban pulled off, to be re- 
placed by another. The image was horribly 
distorted, with great staring eyes, and in the 
usual squatting native position. It is quite 
impossible to believe that any human being, 
even the most savage, far less these educated, 
clever Brahmins, can believe in the omnipotent 
power of these blocks of wood and stone ; and 
our cicerone, an old, blind, and (of course) 
naked Brahmin (who talked very good English, 
and had a pleasanter countenance, and stronger, 
finer figure than most of the savages) talked 
and laughed very irreverently about the toilet 



BRAHMINS. 



97 



of his god — and yet they are devout and atten- 
tive to their religious duties, as if they believed 
in the efficacy of them : it is difficult to under- 
stand this, and many other contradictions in 
the native character. We were not allowed to 
enter the temples, and could only peep through 
the doors ; which being the only apertures for 
admitting light, all the images have lamps 
burning before them. The Sacred Bull, with a 
red head, was placed on guard at one of the 
doors. There is a magnificent view, from a 
kind of rampart round the court of the prin- 
cipal temple ; for the hill is high and isolated, 
like so many on these plains, so that one can 
overlook the country in every direction for miles 
round. The ride back, when the sun was up, 
was very pretty by the side of the river, dammed 
up in one place, so as to form a large tank, or 
lake, upon whose banks are scattered white bun- 
galows embowered in gardens of palms, plain- 
tains, and other trees requiring more shelter 
than the high arid ground about the canton- 
ment will afford. The Band- stands are the 
places of fashionable resort of an evening ; and, 
to a new comer, the scene is just like one in a 
theatre. A long procession of children, at- 
tended by Ayahs and bearers, walk round and 

H 



98 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



round the music; officers in uniform galop 
up on tattoos with flowing manes and tails, 
like circus-horses, to talk to ladies in light- 
coloured habits; or others, in bullock carts, 
and foreign-looking equipages; while each 
horse, whether ridden or driven, is attended 
by his ghorraivalla, who, by the exquisites of 
society, is dressed in a kind of livery, of bright 
colour, with a turban and sash in strong con- 
trast, while the more humble content them- 
selves with a livery of a white robe, and reel 
turban and sash. As darkness comes on, lamps 
are lighted round the Band-stand, and on the 
carriages; and when " God save the Queen" 
proclaims the finale of the music, people grope 
their way home in the dark, as best they may. 

Thursday, December 24. 

L received an importation of thirty-one 

horses from Bombay for his battery to-day. 
They are sent up under the care of natives, 
who, on arriving, squat down by the road- 
side in front of their horses, waiting for some 
one to take possession of them. We accident- 
ally saw these poor beasts to-day, so waiting, 

and on inquiry L- found they were for him 

— such is the way things are managed here. 



NATIVE CARTS. 



99 



The artillery horses stand in open lines, tied 
with head and heel- ropes. A native gJiorfa- 
walla is appointed to every horse, and an Eng- 
lish driver to every pair. Visiting in a hired 
bullo'ck cart is rather a trial of patience, as 
oxen, except the very good ones, are aggra- 
vating animals, and have a way of bolting- 
round corners, and into strange compounds; 
when some time is required to stop and turn, 
and start again. They are guided by a string, 
passed through their noses, while experienced 
drivers use their toes as a means of persuasion, 
and threaten them with a primitive hunting- 
whip, whilst they screw their tails to induce 
rapidity of motion. The old-fashioned country 
carts, (which are pressed whenever required to 
carry baggage,) are curious vehicles, consisting 
solely of a pair of solid wheels, connected by 
an axle, and a great pole to which is fastened 
whatever is intended to be carried. The modern 
ones bear more resemblance in form to our 
notions of a small cart, but are in the habit of 
tumbling to pieces every few miles. Each is 
drawn by four or six oxen, attended by a pro- 
portionate number of drivers, who again, on a 
march, are followed by their wives and fami- 
lies. 

h 2 



100 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Christmas-day, 1857. 

We were glad there was so little to remind 
us of home or of the season. We received 
various presents of cakes, fruit, &c, from our 
landlord and tradespeople, reversing the English 
system of Christmas boxes. There was only 
one sermon at the English Church, and no 
decorations, which with the abundance of flowers 
in this country might have been easily managed. 
We rode to Kirkee in the afternoon, through a 
ford and over the fields, but had to keep the 
road on our return on account of the darkness. 
A dinner at the Adjutant -General's, with 
bouquets of roses adorning the table, rendered 
the turkey and mince pies necessary to make us 
believe it was Christmas-day. 

Monday, December 28. 

We were invited to a hyena hunt at Kirkee, 
but were not able to go. The animal was caught 
some days previously, and imprisoned in a bath 
room, and then turned loose before some strong 
curs, doing duty as hounds. One night, just as 
we were getting into bed, a stranger came to 
the door, and informed us that as he was passing 
he saw a wild beast on the roof of our bungalow. 
L immediately turned out with loaded re- 



MODE OF IRRIGATION. 



101 



volver, and perambulated the grounds in dress- 
ing gown and slippers, but nothing could be 
seen, and I believe the bete feroce was no other 
than a wildish cat, who is part of the establish- 
ment, and who has a way of getting between 
the thatch and the canvas ceilings, in pursuit 
of the rats and pretty little grey squirrels, and 
pattering about all night to the disturbance of 
our rest, and in imminent danger of falling 
through on our heads. In my walk this morn- 
ing I passed through some fields of grain, and 
observed the mode of irrigation, which was to 
divide the land into very small square plots, 
separated by banked-up channels, or troughs 
filled from the water-skins carried on bullocks 
from the nearest tank, so that the operation is 
slow and laborious, and it is only on the banks 
of streams that there is any soil capable of cul- 
tivation, the high lands being all volcanic rock. 

Sir J. Inglis's despatch concerning the heroic 
defence of Lucknow reached us to-day, and 
filled all hearts with admiration and thankful- 
ness. 

Friday, January 1, 1858. 

Last night we indulged in the unwonted dis- 
sipations of a dinner-party and a dance. The 
latter was rather a solemn affair, and at twelve 



102 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



o'clock every one shook hands and wished each 
other the compliments of the season, which 
to strangers in a strange land are very empty 
compliments indeed. Then we sat down to a 
supper which nobody ate, and then we, in defi- 
ance of Indian manners (which forbid the depar- 
ture of any guest till the lady of highest rank 
has taken leave), went home to bed. Notwith- 
standing our dissipation, we were down on the 
parade by six this morning, where the moon 
was sinning with a glorious light, as only a 
tropical full moon can shine. I was anxious to 
witness the ceremony of swearing in the newly- 
enlisted gun Lascars, who have been recruited 

here by L . It solely consisted in repeating 

after an officer, very fast, a quantity of Hindustani, 
which sounded very like gibberish, and there was 
no religious ceremony or way of binding them 
to fidelity. I rode to see the sun rise from the 
top of Gibbet Hill, which commands a fine view 
of the station, and is so named from the remains 
of a gibbet formerly used for criminals. I saw 
water drawn from some wells in a curious 
manner : four or six bullocks are fastened to a 
long rope, which is passed over a beam, and 
has a leather bucket at the other end, and the 
animals drawing down a steep descent into a 



NON-OBSERVANCE OF SUNDAY. 103 



pit lift up the bucketful of water, and when it is 
empty, the bullocks are made to bach the whole 
way up the hill, till the bucket again reaches 
the water. 

Sunday, January 3. 

We were just starting for morning church, 

when information was sent to L that 

another detachment of horses had arrived, to 
whose reception and feeding he and a committee 
of officers had to attend during the greater part 
of the day, and this is only a common sample 
of the desecration of Sunday among all in 
authority here. All public offices are open, and 
the only difference to be observed is, that rather 
more than usual business generally comes to 
hand than on week days. Can we wonder that, 
while our rulers, thus setting at naught the prin- 
ciples of their own religion, encourage and pro- 
tect idolatry and idol temples, Christianity makes 
but small progress among the heathen ? There 
are only twenty converts here, and they, I 
believe, belong to the Scotch mission. The 
different doctrines taught by different sects 
among Christians is another fatal bar to the 
spread of their common religion. In short, it 
is easy enough for a child to see mismanage- 
ment rife in every corner of the land, and what- 



104 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



ever the right remedy may be, it must be one 
of principle and practice that may draw down a 
blessing on our exertions. At present in the 
manner of the Sahibs towards the natives there 
is a pride and contempt, as of a lower order of 
beings (and they are so stupid and provoking it is 
very difficult to treat them otherwise) ; and, in 
return, they are disgustingly cringing and ser- 
vile from fear, and are ready to take the first 
opportunity of wiping out old scores against us, 
with the ferocity and cruelty to be expected 
from idolaters and barbarians. Shocking as it 
sounds, it is nevertheless true that Government 
discourages Christianity among the natives to 
the extent of making native Christians ineligible 
to any public office ! A short time ago the 
Head Inspector of Government Schools met 
with an intelligent native convert, whom he con- 
sidered fitted to fill an office then at his disposal. 
On applying to the proper authorities to confirm 
his choice, he was refused, on the ground that 
the man having been converted had lost caste, 
and, consequently, influence with his country- 
men, and that the rules of the ineligibility of 
Christians to any public appointment could 
not be broken through ! I have this story on 
undoubted authority. 



WIVES FOR THE SOLDIERS. 



105 



Sunday, January 10. 

A collection was made this morning for the 
Bycnlla Schools, in Bombay, for soldiers' child- 
ren—mostly half-castes. An odd advantage 
belonging to these schools is, that if an English 
soldier signifies his wish to marry, he may go to 
the girls' school, where he is asked three times 
to tea, at which entertainment he meets all the 
marriageable girls, and he may select from 
among them any one who pleases his fancy. 

Friday, January 15. 

Our days are so monotonous that there is 
very little to record, being chiefly spent by 

L in breaking in his horses to harness, 

and generally closed by a ride to the Band- 
stand. By way of variety I was one day upset 
in a boRock-gary, as I was paying a round of 
visits. I scrambled out, and endeavoured, by 
frantic gesticulations, to induce my driver and 
some people who had collected round us, to lift 
the carriage out of the ditch. At first they 
merely sat down and chattered, and I thought 
I should be left standing in the sun all day, but 
at last they unyoked the animals, and, after 
righting the carriage, proceeded to put them in 
again : but this was a work of time ; first both 



106 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



the perverse beasts got on the near side of the 
pole, then they changed and went both on the 
off side, then they turned round with their heads 
towards the carriage ; in short more than Job's 
patience was required, especially as I was in 
a hurry to get home. I have been long suffer- 
ing with a very severe cold, which, in this 
climate of cold winds and hot sun, is very 
difficult to get rid of. The last two days have 
been cloudy, and a few large drops of rain fell 

this morning. L bought me a beautiful 

new horse yesterday; a handsome grey Arab, 
with high showy action, and a tail actually 
sweeping the ground. 

Wednesday, January 20. 

We rode one day to an old native fort in the 
middle of the old city of Poona. The gateway 
is painted in a kind of Moorish pattern in 
fresco, and you enter through a door spiked 
with tremendous nails, meant to be a defence 
against elephants. Inside is a wide court and 
a little garden and tank, by the side of which 
stand two miserable little mortars, to take care 
of which our artillery find a guard of four 
men. They are to be fired in case of alarm, 
when the odds in favour of 140,000 natives 



WALE THROUGH THE CITY. 107 

would be rather ovei^dielming. We had a 
shopping expedition in the city this afternoon 
that was most amusing. We got out of our 
gary and poked among the shops, purchasing 
many curiosities, which we should probably 
never have seen in any other manner. The 
people were civil, but looked at us with astonish- 
ment, as I believe we are the first English lady 
and gentleman who have ever walked through 
the city. We often pass through it on horse- 
back, and on no occasion have ever met a 
European, but we are struck with the fair com- 
plexions of many of the Brahmins and Parsees. 

Saturday, January 23. 

We dined last night in company with a lady, 
who apologized for being rather late, saying she 
had that moment received a telegram, contain- 
ing the news of her husband being shot through 
the arm in an encounter with the Bheels. 
Such is life in this country ! The old Brahmin 
from Parbuddee paid us a visit to-day. He 
understands English perfectly, being a pupil of 
one of our Government schools. We ques- 
tioned him as to his belief in his gods, and he 
says he considers the idols only as representa- 
tions of an invisible and omnipresent Deity. 



108 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



He spoke of another world as a place of reward 
or punishment, and said the joy of heaven 
would consist in sitting still ! The Brahmins 
are all priests, and this one's office before he 
became blind was to arrange the turban of the 
idol daily. He told us the Government gave 
1500 rupees a month for the support of the 
Brahmins at Parbuddee. The temples and 
surrounding palace, now in ruins, were the 
property of the Peishwa, and when he ceded to 
us the territory of Poona, it was on the under- 
standing that we were to provide for the support 
of the holy places. This has been done on 
every British acquisition of territory in India, 
thus rendering us, for the sake of advancing 
our border, the patrons and supporters of the 
most horrible idolatry. We have decided on 
making an expedition to Singhur, a hill fort, 
where there are a few empty bungalows, one of 
which has been lent to us, in hopes of curing 
my cold by change of air. 

Wednesday, January 27. 

We sent off a supply of necessaries, to Sing- 
hur on Coolies' heads, as soon as possible after 
breakfast, and it was most amusing to watch 
the preparations for starting in the yard. Our 



EXPEDITION TO SINGHUR. 



109 



old butler, who I sometimes think is a little 
demented, did absolutely nothing but vociferate 
in the shrillest tones, and laying about him 
with a stick, danced and shouted round the 
group of Coolies, who remained apathetically 
squatting on their haunches in the sun. At 
last, about eleven, off they went, many of the 
men carrying nothing but one little bundle, 
whilst a wretched pony, intended for the old 
man to ride, was laden with all the heavy pack- 
ages, bedding, and carpet-bags. At two we 
ourselves started on horseback, accompanied by 

M a j or b and Mr. B . I carried an 

umbrella, and did not find any annoyance from 
the sun. We cantered along merrily for ten or 
twelve miles, on an excellent road, past the 
foot of Parbuddee, and skirting a fine range of 
hills ; on each side were thousands of large 
mango trees, whose flowers perfumed the air, 
but suddenly the broad highway came to an 
abrupt end on the banks of a nullah, and we 
turned off on a path through the fields, where, 
from the numerous tracks, we found great 
difficulty in keeping the right road. Before 
long we overtook one of the servants and a 
miserable bullock cart, containing the greater 
part of our goods, the obstinate old butler 



110 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



having altered our arrangements as soon as he 
was out of sight, and transferred the things to the 
cart from the Coolies' heads, and from the crawl- 
ing pace of the bullocks there was little hope of 
their arriving at their destination before dark. 
Soon we rode up a wooded valley, now brown 
and dry, as the trees composing the forests here 
are mostly deciduous, and by-and-by came to 
the foot of the Ghaut, a precipitous rock, on 
the summit of which we saw the towers of 
Singhur, high up in the clouds. The ascent 
from hence along an excellent path, cut in zig- 
zag terraces, soon became very steep, and we dis- 
mounted and led our ponies. The sun set in a 
brilliant glow, lighting up the summits of the 
hills and the distant valleys, and, luckily for 
us was succeeded by a splendid moon, or we 
should never have found our way among these 
precipices. On and on we toiled, each moment 
fancying we must be close to the top, but at 
each turn finding the overhanging rock appa- 
rently as high and far off as ever. I was 
obliged to get on my pony for a few minutes to 
rest, but it was too steep to be pleasant riding, 
and besides, being very hot with climbing, I felt 
the night wind chilly. We passed the Coolies 
with the rest of our things, before arriving at the 



MAHRATTA HILL FORT. Ill 

fort, and at last we came to a dark gateway 
with a strong iron door, guarded by some 
native police ; then a second and a third similar 
gate, and then we found ourselves in an open 
space on the summit of this singular hill, with 
a few white bungalows clotted about among 
the rocks, in one of which we found our old 
butler, with nothing of any kind ready for 
us. In these adverse circumstances Major 

B was a host in himself, and bustled about 

with such vigour that we soon got lights, and 
took possession of our rooms ; and by nine 
o'clock we got something to eat, after which we 
were glad enough to retire to rest from the 
fatigues of the day. The bungalow belongs to 
an old Parsee, by name Daddaboy, and consists 
of three rooms, containing a few rickety chairs 
and tables, and an enormous bed, with a very 
limited supply of cracked crockery. 

Thursday, January 28. 

I got up early and walked about the fort, 
which is a most curious place — an enormous 
rocky hill with a square summit, and every 
spur or accessible part scarped, turreted, walled, 
and loopholed, so that it appears quite impreg- 
nable. It was finally surrendered to the British 



112 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



on 1st March, 1818. by the Peishwa's troops, 
who, during a siege of ten days had suffered 
severely from our shells. It sustained many 
sieges during the different Mahratta wars, was 
never stormed, but generally capitulated from 
scarcity of supplies. There are eight or ten 
bungalows in different parts of the fort, each 
commanding splendid news. Eoses were bloom- 
ing in the gardens, which, with attention, might 
have been little Paradises. The roofs of the 
houses are all tied on by strong ropes passing 
over them, fastened to rocks on the ground, 
which is necessary, to prevent the violent winds 
of the monsoon carrying them away. People 
go up here from Poona for change in the hot 
weather, and as this is not the season, we are 
the only Europeans in the place : one native 
hut and a couple of guard-rooms for the police 
constitute the only habitations besides the de- 
serted bungalows. The air is deliciously cool 
and refreshing, and prevents one minding the 
heat of the sun ; so, as soon as breakfast was 
over we set off for a long ramble, armed only 
with umbrellas, and wandering along the narrow 
cattle paths which traverse the coarse dry grass 
in every direction, we left the fort, and follow- 
ing a spur of the mountain, our ambition was 



WANDEKINGS IN THE JUNGLE. 113 

to mount to the top of a neighbouring hill, with 
a mass of pointed rock on its summit. This 
we at last accomplished, and after resting for 
some time under the shadow of the rock, en- 
joying the view, we returned by a different path 
to our bungalow, and refreshed ourselves with 
ginger-beer and oranges. In the cool of the 
evening we explored more of the interior of the 
fort, which contains many large water tanks, the 
ruins of a Governor's house, and several small 
temples, and is, even in its present ruinous 
state, one of the best specimens of a Mahratta 
hill fortress. The views over the hills are 
wonderful, comprising range after range piled 
one behind the other, too numerous to count, 
and all cut square at the top with furrowed 
sides, more like Wyld's model of the globe than 
any thing in nature. Now, the hills are brown, 
dotted with masses of very black rock, with 
green shrubs in the ravines, and fine trees here 
and there, especially along the banks of the 
Poona river, whose course may be traced for 
miles along a broad valley. The great want in 
the landscape is water. Except this river, which 
in most places is dry, there is not a stream, or 
rill, or spring any where, and the whole aspect 
is scorched and dry; but in the rainy season 

i 



114 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



the colour of the scenery must be completely 
changed, as every little nullah then contains a 
torrent, and the red brown of the grass becomes 
brightest green. 

Friday, January 29. 

Our morning's expedition was in a contrary 
direction to that which we took yesterday, and we 
left the fort by a postern gate, and down a steep 
rocky staircase, very difficult of access to cavalry. 

L and Mr. B took their guns in hopes of 

sport, and diverged into the jungle, but got nothing 
except a brace of larks, the truth being, that from 
the want of water these hills are totally without 
game at this season, and except the chirp of 
the cricket no sound of life is to be heard among 
them. Far off, down in the valleys, may be 
distinguished villages and little spots of cultiva- 
tion, and, dotting the hill sides, herds of cattle 
feeding, with here and there the dusky form of 
a black man watching them, otherwise the 

solitude is unbroken. Major B and I 

skirted the hills for some distance, till we found 
a pleasant seat, sheltered from the sun by some 
bundles of dry grass, and commanding a fine 
view of Singhur, and the jungle where the 
others were vainly searching for game. We 
had brought a servant carrying refreshments 



RETURN TO POONA. 



115 



with us, and we remained here some time, enjoy- 
ing the beauty of the scenery and atmosphere, 
and, after being joined by the disappointed 
sportsmen, we slowly wended our way home- 
wards at sunset to our bungalow on the rock. 

Saturday, January 30. 

I took a last ramble round a still unexplored 
part of the fort, and found a picturesque temple 
-to sketch, and having sent off our servants and 
things, and desired our horses to be led to the 
foot of the hill to wait our arrival, we started 
on our return journey at one o'clock, and found 
three miles of very steep descent before we 
reached the place where the animals were 
picketed. We returned to Poona by a shorter 
road, having discovered that we had gone con- 
siderably out of our way on the former journey. 
We noticed numbers of hillocks of black ants 
along the sides of the road. They are conical 
mounds about three feet high, with numbers of 
small cones sticking out on the top, and if you 
break into them you discover numerous cham- 
bers and galleries composed of well-cemented 
clay, which these industrious insects build for 
nurseries and granaries. A lovely blue bird, of 
the jay kind, also attracted our attention, but it 
i 2 



116 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



is astonishing in passing through these solitudes 
how little of animal life one sees ; and, as for the 
reptiles, which I had supposed infested tropical 
countries, except a few brown lizards and one 
young scorpion, which I killed in my room, I 
have seen none since I landed. 



WILD CATS. 



117 



CHAPTER V. 

ARTILLERY BALL — INCENDIARY FIRES — ORDERED AWAY 

— JOURNEY TO BOMBAY — TEMPLES OF ELEPHANTA 

EMBARK ON MY COASTING VOYAGE — DETAINED AT 
VINGORTA — LAND — JOURNEY TO BELGAUM. 

Thursday, February 4. 

We find the air in Poona very close and 
oppressive after the mountain breezes of Sing- 
hur, and are told that it is unusually hot for the 
season. A dust-storm occurred during church- 
time on Sunday, which completely darkened 
the air, besides filling every thing with sand. 
We are a prey, to the wild cats which infest our 
compound, and annoy us to such a degree that 
we have ordered them to be shot. They keep 
jumping in and out of our room all night, 
making a dreadful noise in chorus with the 
jackals; and having eaten all the pretty little 
grey squirrels and parrots in the garden, they 
are so ravenous that they jump on the table 
during our meals and almost snatch the very 
food from our mouths ! One day, riding across 
the fields, we passed a Muhammedan burial 



118 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



ground, the smell proceeding from which was 
pestilential, and we were horrified at seeing 
protruding from the ground, and lying about in 
the ploughed field near, blade bones, shin bones, 
and various other portions of the human frame ! 
It appears that the followers of Islam only put 
a few inches of earth over the bodies of their 
defunct friends, leaving a scalp lock exposed 
above ground, by which they think that Ma- 
homet will lift them up to heaven in the Ee- 
surrection. I have had presents of two darling 
little green parroquets, one with a red head, 
the tamest little thing I ever saw. The 
Eoyal Artillery ball came off this evening, and 
was reckoned the best that had been seen in 
Poona for some time. There were thirty ladies 
and fifty gentlemen, all dancers but one or two ; 
but of the fifteen officers who acted hosts, it is 
remarkable that six were ill, the hot weather 
lately having been very unhealthy. 

Monday, February 8. 

Last night we were awakened, at half-past 
twelve, by the voice of the sergeant-major at the 
window, saying there were two large fires near. 
L— - — gave the order to turn out, and in five 
minutes was on horseback and at the head of his 



INCENDIARY FIRES. 



119 



men, I walked with my maid a little way up the 
hill at the back of the house, to see where the 
fires were. One was the guard-room of a group 
of cells close to the hospital; it was quite empty, 
and under the care of a ramosi (or watch- 
man). The other was an old bungalow, like- 
wise empty, formerly used as a Koman Catholic 
chapel. Both were on high ground, so that 
the fires could be seen for a long distance. 
There was no water to be had, as all the 
bastis (or water-carriers) took care to be out 
of the way ; fortunately, there being no wind, 
the fires soon burnt out, but just after another 
was seen blazing away on the opposite side 
of the cantonment. It proved to be merely 
a sort of bonfire, close to the lines of the high 
caste 23rd Native Infantry, who have lately 
arrived in the station. L , of course, kept 
his men with their guns on their own parade, 
whither I also resorted, not wishing in the event 
of any disturbance to be left alone in the bunga- 
low; but when all was quiet we returned to bed 
about three. Our servants looked on with the 
most stolid indifference : the old butler could 
not be roused from his snores, and except the 
ghorrawatta, who was very quick saddling the 
horse, they none of them showed the slightest 



120 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



concern, and the ramosi never dreamed of 
calling us, as he ought to have done. It ap- 
pears that on Saturday night an attempt was 
made to fire a bungalow close to ours, but for- ' 
innately the inhabitants were awake and put it 
out, actually seeing the incendiaries run away, 
though they could not catch them. 

Thursday, February 11. 

Each night we have been disturbed in various 
ways, by distant fires and continual noises. A 
number of cartridges have been found concealed 
in the thatch of a roof adjoining the house that 
was burnt ; but though the authorities offered 
100 rupees for the discovery of the incendiary, 
it is not thought prudent to search the car- 
tridge-boxes of the 23rd N.I., where it is pretty 
certain these came from. Several men have 
been taken up on suspicion of selling poisoned 
milk and ginger-beer to the soldiers; but, as 
they ingeniously spilled all they had in hand, 
nothing could be proved against them. One 
little knows what the next moment may brins: 
forth. We had got so settled here, that we 
had almost forgotten the probability of a move ; 
and we were preparing for our usual ride this 
evening, when a telegram arrived, ordering my 



ORDERED AWAY. 121 

husband to march on Belgaurn, some 300 
miles off in the southern Mahratta country, 
being prepared to take the field on the way, to 
chastise the Rajah of Sholapur, who has been 
attacking some of our Madras troops. If it 
were not for the necessary separation (as cir- 
cumstances render it impossible for me to ven- 
ture on so long and hazardous a march, and I 
shall have to proceed by Bombay, and down 
the coast by myself to Belgaurn), I should not 
regret leaving Poona, as the public native mind 
is in an uneasy state, and it is any thing but 
agreeable being subject to these nightly dis- 
turbances. 

Monday, February 15. 

We have been very busy preparing for our 
move, which, in many respects, to private per- 
sons, is an easier matter than at home ; but 
not so to an unlucky officer in command, upon 
his first march. It is perfectly inconceivable 
the way in which L — — was pestered all day 
about all sorts of petty arrangements, which 
ought to be managed by competent subordi- 
nates, instead of being under the superintend- 
ence of Her Majesty's officers. The march 
was ordered for to-morrow morning, and it was 



122 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



curious to see the long strings of camels kneel- 
ing for their burthens in front of the lines. 
The same troop of Dragoon Guards that came 
in our ship, and another, accompany the guns 
as escort. We were roused repeatedly by mes- 
sages after retiring to rest; and at last, at 
half-past twelve, came an order to postpone 
the march till the afternoon to-morrow. 

Tuesday, February 16. 

Busy all the morning finishing L 's 

packing. A new hullock-gary, which we have 
been building, arrived, finished all but paint- 
ing, and fitted up as a bed, looked so com- 
fortable, I more than half repented not running 
the risk of going in it. At half-past three, 

p.m., I accompanied L on horseback down 

to the lines, and we found the baggage, which 
was to have been ready at two, not yet started. 
It was carried by thirty-one camels, seventy-four 
pack mules, thirty-three bullock-carts, with in- 
numerable camp followers, and covered a long 
line of road. As soon as this train was fairly 
in motion, the battery marched off, a second 
line of ammunition waggons, drawn by bullocks, 
bringing up the rear. I accompanied them to 
their first halting-place, distant only three 



MARCH OF THE BATTERY. 



123 



miles, on a perfectly flat and burnt -up plain, 
tbe distant hills alone preventing the landscape 
from being positively ugly. Here we found the 
Dragoons, who had been there since the morn- 
ing, and whose white tents looked picturesque. 
I stayed some time with some people I knew, 
and envied much one lady, who was preparing 

to accompany her husband. After L had 

made all necessary arrangements, he returned 
with me to Poona to dine, and finally left me at 
half-past two in the morning to join the battery, 
which marched at three. Left thus desolate in 
a strange land, I did not want for kind friends, 
who would not allow me to return to my soli- 
tary home, and undertook to see me safe to 
Bombay, and help all my arrangements. 

Thursday, February 18. 

Major G , Mr. T , my maid and I, 

with two native servants, left Poona at a quarter 
to six this morning in two of the rattletraps, 
miscalled phaetons, and posted through to 
Khandalla, stopping for breakfast at Wurgaum, 
where the fare consisted of a spatchcock and an 
omelette, no bread being procurable. At Khan- 
dalla we got into palkees to descend the Ghaut, 
the scenery of which, by daylight, is magnifi- 



124 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



cently wild. The abrupt and oddly-shaped 
mountains, ruled in horizontal lines of black 
strata, every available interstice covered with 
thick underwood, rising one behind the other 
in an endless succession of ranges, form a series 
of the most splendid views, changing at every 
turn of the road, which, though good, is very 
steep, and dreadfully dusty from the continued 
trains of bullock- carts. Avery little would render 
it safe for a carriage, which would be a great com- 
fort to travellers, instead of the present necessity 
of using palkees. In my whole life I never was 
so shaken ; the jerking run of the bearers in 
descending a steep incline is quite insupport- 
able ! It took two hours of this shaking to 
reach Campoolie, and I felt half dead with ex- 
haustion. We were fortunately provided with 
a little sherry and soda-water, which slightly 
refreshed us, and we started at a quarter past 
three, p.m., in the train for Bombay. The rail- 
road runs through a most picturesque valley, 
winding among the mountains, many of them 
crowned with masses of rock, which closely 
resemble towers and castles. As we ap- 
proached the end of our journey, we wound 
round the head of the bay, in many places on 
a causeway, so as to approach Bombay from 



RETURN TO BOMBAY. 



125 



the North ; and here we came among every va- 
riety of palm, and other Tropical trees, growing 
in picturesque groups by the water-side. The 
latter part of the journey was very slow, from 
being delayed at every station by the chattering 
of the natives, and we arrived at the Byculla 
station in Bombay at seven. Here we found 
difficulties about our further progress, the only 
vehicles of any description to be had being two 
dilapidated hack buggies, in one of which my 
maid and I had to seat ourselves, whilst the 
wild driver crouched at our feet, and, having 
escaped the threatened danger of a loose wheel, 
we arrived at the hospitable bungalow of the 
kind W s, much in want of rest and refresh- 
ment. 

Saturday, February 20. 

I am much worried at the unsatisfactory 
letters I get, telling me of the unsafe state of 
the roads up from the coast to Belgaum, and 
that I cannot venture to travel without an 
escort ; but my friends are most kind, and hope 
to find some one to go with me before long. 

Tuesday, February 23. 
An officer going to Belgaum has been found, 



126 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



a friend of Major G- -s, who has kindly un- 
dertaken the care of me, and we are to start on 
Saturday in the Admiralty yacht. To-day we 
went on an expedition to see Elephanta, em- 
barking from the dockyard in the pretty little 
steam yacht the " Griilanare," and after an hour 
and a quarter's delightful trajet among the 
beautiful scenery of the Bay, passing Butcher's 
Island, a place of confinement for state prison- 
ers, where the Rajah of S attar a is at present, 
we arrived off the shores of the lovely island of 
Elephanta, composed of a double-pointed hill 
covered with thick jungle, and dotted with 
palms and other large trees in profusion. In 
order to land, we were forced to get into the 
small gig of the steamer, and when that came 
aground, we were transferred to chairs, each 
carried by four men, who trotted through the 
water and deposited us safely on the shore, 
which is here fringed with mangrove bushes, 
growing far out into the water. From the 
shore you ascend an easy flight of stone steps 
cut in the rocks, to about half-way up the hill- 
side, when you arrive at the platform at the 
entrance of the principal temple, the view from 
which is most enchanting. The temple itself 
consists of a number of chambers, all hewn 



ISLAND OF ELEPHAXTA. 



127 



out of the solid rock, and divided by fluted 
pillars. In niches or shrines are bas-reliefs of 
the principal idol or three-headed Deity, attended 
by his subordinate spirits, who are represented 
crowded in the background in a very curious 
manner. The Sacred Elephant, adorned with 
red-paint, figures in several places, but I did 
not see any bull. In one corner antiquaries 
have deciphered a date, I do not know what, 
but it must be of great antiquity, far more 
ancient ijhan that of the temples at Karlee ; as 
there the turn of the arch is perfect, while at 
Elephanta, though the carving is perfectly sharp 
and good, the pillars and doorways are covered 
by a straight pediment. The days close in so 
quickly, that the sun had nearly set when we 
arrived at the great temple, and we had scarcely 
time for one or two hurried sketches before it 
grew too dark to enjoy the beauty of the views. 
We made our way along some tangled paths 
towards the back of the island, passing two 
smaller cave temples, and the scenery on both 
sides was most lovely, and only made one regret 
not having more daylight in which to enjoy it. 
We re-embarked on the " Gulanare " in the 
same manner as we had left her, and enjoyed 
our moonlight sail very much, as well as a little 



128 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



impromptu feast that had been prepared for us 
on board. 

Friday, February 26. 

In my early walk I took a cup in my hand, 
resolved to taste the fresh toddy which is now 
abundant. On arriving at a grove of palms, I 
saw a man ascend one of them by means of a 
rope passed round his body, against which he 
leaned whilst climbing upwards with his hands 
and great toes. When he had attained the 
proper height he passed the rope under him, 
and sat upon it, and with a sharp kind of gim- 
let made an incision just under the crown of 
the tree. Into this hole he very carefully in- 
serted a tube of bamboo, and put the other end 
into a chatty or earthen pot, which he had 
brought up tied round his waist, and fastened 
it by a rope of plaited leaves firmly into its 
place. The man then descended from the tree, 
bringing with him a chatty which had got filled 
with juice during the night, and on my making 
signs, he poured some out of it into my cup. 
It was frothy and white like milk, with a mix- 
ture of sweet and sour in the taste, which I did 
not think very nice. When it is allowed to 
remain in the heat of the sun it soon ferments 
and in a few hours becomes an intoxicating 



EMBARK IN " THE CHARLOTTE." 129 

liquor. The Hindoo festival of the Hol'i is 
now in course of celebration ; the natives smear 
their garments and faces all over with red and 
yellow powder, and no respectable women are 
seen in the bazaars ; indeed it is very disagree- 
able even for Europeans to walk about now, as 
the manner of the natives is far from respectful, 
and my maid was much annoyed and frightened 
by some of them, in the high road close to the 
bungalow. 

Saturday, February 27. 

I bade adieu to my kind entertainers at Mala- 
bar Hill, and joining Captain T at the 

Dockyard, we embarked on board the schooner 
"Charlotte," Indian Navy Yacht, of 180 tons, 
which had been kindly placed at my disposal. 
We sailed out of harbour at half-past two 
p.m., with a nice breeze from the N.W., 
but towards evening it died away. I had dis- 
charged all my native servants in Bombay, as 

they were very bad ones, and Captain T 

kindly undertook all arrangements respecting 
food, &c, for the journey, and he had two ser- 
vants, in addition to my English maid, who were 
to cook for and wait upon us. 

K 



130 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Monday, March 1. 

The time passes tediously, coasting lazily 
along. The outline of hills along the shore 
is very pretty. We passed near the fort 
of Malwan, on a rock overhanging the sea, 
about mid-day, and towards sunset we hoped to 
have seen the Vingorla Bocks, but were disap- 
pointed, and now look forward to anchoring in 
the night, and landing the first thing in the 
morning, when we shall find palkees and carts 
which have been ordered for our conveyance to 
Belgaum. 

Tuesday, March 2. 

Oh! how little can we short-sighted mortals 
foresee what is in store for us! I spoke of 
landing and my anticipated journey yesterday, 
little thinking that instead I should be com- 
pelled to remain on board the " Charlotte," 
with a little baby in my arms, whose sudden 
arrival without the presence of Doctor or 
"Mrs. Gamp" was most unexpected. But 
God is very merciful, and does not lay upon us 
more than we are able to bear, and I felt very 
thankful that the event had not taken place in 
a dak bungalow on the road, my greatest 
annoyance being the detention of my unfortu- 
nate escort, who stoutly declined yielding to the 



ROBBER TRIBES. 



131 



messages I sent him to leave me to my fate, 
and proceed at once to Belgaum. 

Thursday, March 4. 

The Lascar sailors, native servants, &c, have 
been very anxious in their inquiries about the 
infant, and hearing it was a boy, pronounced the 
universal acha — very good, the only expression 
of approbation and affirmation, in the meagre lan- 
guages of India. Among themselves, a girl is con- 
sidered rather an incumbrance, whilst the birth 
of a boy is always hailed with joy. I received 
a visit in the evening from the wife of an officer 
at Vingorla, who, hearing of my predicament, 
came kindly to offer her services. She gave an 
alarming account of the state of the road up to 
Belgaum. The Sawunt Warree, a tribe of 
robbers, are out, and hide in the jungle, from 
whence they fire at travellers, particularly from 
some thick portions of jungle as you ascend 
the Ghaut, where two soldiers were lately 
wounded. An officer who started on the jour- 
ney yesterday took an escort of thirty soldiers, 
and refused to take charge of a lady and her 
children, who are waiting to go up. A company 
of the 56th Begiment, with other troops, have 
been sent against these robbers, who have been 
k 2 



132 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



joined by some disaffected from the Portuguese 
settlement of Goa, but it is almost hopeless 
to expect to catch them with regular troops. 
The last time they were out, it took ten years' 
desultory warfare to disperse them! All the 
country people still profess to disbelieve entirely 
in the capture of Dehli, considering it an in- 
vention of ours to frighten them ! 

Saturday, March 6. 

Captain T sent me this morning a sort 

of large tassel, made of the flowers of the large 
white jasmine strung together, which the na- 
tives hang over their doors and windows during 
festival time. He had also ordered a bouquet 
of roses ; but what arrived was a small, flat, 
green parcel, made out of a bit of a plantain-leaf, 
pinned together with a thorn. When opened, 
it contained one sweet, full-blown rose, so in- 
geniously packed that, even in this flat parcel, 
it was not at all crushed, and was kept quite 
fresh and cool. One day, before I was taken 
ill, the master of the schooner, who had lived 
for some time next door to a Parsee family, gave 
me a curious account of their proceedings, when 
one of their family lies at the point of death. 
As soon as the unfortunate individual is con- 



PARSEE DEATH-BEDS. 



133 



sidered m extremis, the bones of his legs and 
arms are broken by his friends, who then anoint 
the body all over with cocoa-nut oil, and bring 
a dog into the room. If the animal licks the 
body, it is considered that his soul has gone to 
heaven ; but if, on the contrary, the dog turns 
away, each member of the family administers a 
hick to the (we will hope) now senseless corpse, 
and reviles it for its wickedness : in either case, 
the body is then consigned to the Tower of 
Silence, where the last arrival occupies the 
centre of the grating, the former corpses being 
placed round the wall in a sitting posture, till 
they are picked to pieces by the vultures, and 
fall through on the bones of their predecessors. 

Sunday, March 7. 

This afternoon I was sufficiently well to be 
placed in a chair, and drawn up on deck through 
the skylight of my cabin, and then laid on a 
mattrass to imbibe fresh strength from the 
balmy breeze, and enjoy the view of the pretty 
little bay of Vingorla, where we have been an- 
chored ever since I was taken ill. The hills 
of red earth, mixed with rocks, and scantily 
covered with brushwood, come clown nearly to 
the water's edge, and are divided from it by a 



134 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



beach of white sand, behind which winds a little 
river, through a grove of palm-trees, between 
whose sterns glimpses of bright green paddy 
fields may be seen beyond. The background 
is formed of fine mountains, among whose 
passes the road to Belgaum lies. There are 
several picturesque native craft in the bay, their 
raking masts ornamented with paper in honour 
of the Hol'i Festival, which lasts many days ; 
and small canoes, with outriggers to prevent 
their capsizing, are constantly scudding from 
one to the other. These canoes are made of 
a single hollowed tree, for the bottom of the 
boat : the upper part projects over the sides, 
and is sewn to the lower with cocoa-nut fibre. 
The outriggers are two pieces of wood, sticking 
out on one side from the gunwale, and con- 
nected together by a third piece, shaped like a 
miniature canoe : this apparatus floats on the 
water, and steadies the real canoe. I have 
received the kindest letter of sympathy from 
the General commanding at Belgaum, who has 
made every arrangement for my reception ; and 

by his account Mrs. P greatly exaggerated 

the clangers of the journey, and I hope to be 
able to prosecute it with safety. Luckily I am 
not easily frightened. 



LAND AT VINGORLA. 



135 



Monclaj', March 8. 

I was brought on deck by three o'clock to- 
day, and took a sketch of Vingorla— the birth- 
place of my little son. All the baggage was 
sent on shore, except what was indispensable 
for the night, and it was packed in carts ready 

to start at two in the morning. Mr. S , 

the Collector of Vingorla, came on board, and 
kindly sent me a present of some of the birds' 
nests used for making soup, which are found in 
great masses on the Vingorla Kocks, at the 
entrance of the bay, and are a considerable 
article of trade. They are composed of masses 
of a kind of gelatine mixed with feathers. 

Tuesday, March 9. 

I was hoisted up on the deck and down into 
the boat, at half-past five this morning, and 
from thence drawn up by a crane on the 
wharf at Vingorla, with baby on my knee, 
who in this manner first touched terra firma ! 
The cavalcade for our journey consisted of my 
palkee and one for my maid, each with twelve 
bearers or hammals, five carts (which to-day 
had preceded us), four native servants on foot, 

Captain T mounted and armed, and a 

guard of seven men of the 15th Native Infantry, 



136 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



who met us on the top of the first hill, and 
who, finding it hard work to carry their packs, 
and to keep up with the double-quick of the 
palkee-bearers, soon dropped so far behind that, 
though we waited for them several times, they 
did not arrive at our destination till an hour 
and a half after us ! The road was considered 
perfectly safe to-day, and so it did not matter ; 
to-morrow we must manage differently. My 
palkee was well stuffed with mattrass and pil- 
lows, and I journeyed with very little fatigue, 
six hammals carrying the palkee easily at a short 
quick run, keeping time to a droning song, while 
the relief of six others run by the side; besides 
which, we have a man whose business it is to 
carry a lighted torch if we travel in the dark. 

Our road lay first along the sea-shore, and 
then through the native town and bazaar of 
Vingorla, situated in a grove of palms, many 
of the huts being built round the stems of 
the trees. We soon ascended a high hill, 
from whence the view of the distant Ghauts 
was most beautiful ; and we then descended a 
very steep path to the plain, across whose un- 
dulations the remainder of our road was carried, 
patches of green rice-fields varying here and 
there the otherwise wild country, covered with 



JUNGLE SCENERY. 



137 



low shrub, called " light jungle," and dotted 
with groups of splendid trees — the majestic 
mango, the india-rubber, the wide- spreading 
banian, and towering above them all, and also 
feathering low to the ground in the young- 
specimens, the graceful palm. I used to com- 
plain of the sameness of the forest of palms at 
Bombay, where there are few other trees, but 
here, mingled with so many other forms of 
vegetation, they give a graceful and peculiarly 
oriental character to the scene. 

Amongst many plants quite new to me I noticed 
the bamboo, the largest of the grasses, which 
waves in graceful feathers twenty to thirty feet 
high ; and the sugar-cane, some of whose young 
shoots I sucked and found excellent. There were 
many beautiful wild flowers also, and I generally 
had a large bouquet in my palkee. The character 
of the scenery is totally different from that of 
the more northern Ghauts. These hills are no 
longer volcanic, with straight black strata of 
rocks, but composed of red earth, with boulders 
of sandstone rock crowning their summits and 
sticking out of their sides in picturesque dis- 
order. Most of the hills are partially clothed 
with low bushes, contrasting well with the red 
earth ; and every now and then you meet with 



138 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



patches of the most vivid green that the imagi- 
nation can conceive. It was a charming morn- 
ing; there were a few clouds to shade the 
burning sun, and the distant hills were softened 
by a purple haze. We were carried through a 
wide river, commanded by an old mud fort, and 
arrived at the traveller's bungalow at Banda 
about eleven o'clock. The butler had preceded 
us by several hours to prepare breakfast, for, 
except just along the great roads near the 
Presidency, the bungalows consist only of two or 
three rooms, with bedsteads, chairs, and tables, 
with no one living in them, and no accessories 
of a meal but what travellers themselves bring. 
An officer of Her Majesty's 33rd, known 

to Captain T , had come over to see us 

from the little Fort of Sawunt Warree where 
he was quartered, with few companions save 
bears and tigers, and who, being more addicted 
to the pleasures of society than to the wild 
sports of the field, is rejoicing at the prospect of 
being soon relieved after a nine months' sojourn 
in these jungles. And now I must record the 
impression made upon my mind by this first 
day's journey through a more entirely Indian, 
and less travelled country, than any I have yet 
seen ; it was one of astonishment that a highly 



UNCULTIVATED COUNTRY. 139 



civilized people like the English should so long 
have been nominal masters of a land like this, 
and yet done so very little towards its advance- 
ment. Here we have the richest soil abandoned 
to the luxuriousness of nature; forests of mag- 
nificent timber and full of trees whose fruit is 
good for food, and yet inhabited only by the 
chetah and the tiger, and a fierce tribe of men, 
almost equally savage. The land certainly 
seems to bear the curse of idolatry S If ever 
England comes forward boldly as the champion 
of her faith, then may we hope to see civiliza- 
tion and religion advance hand in hand, 
agriculture flourish, and the commercial riches 
of this lovely country spread out to the world by 
means of canal, road, and railroad ! There are 
at present a good many Christian converts at 
Vingorla, but they have no resident missionary. 

In the few villages through which we passed 
to-day, there were a sort of maypoles, put up 
in front of the temples in honour of the 
Hol'i Festival, and at night the tom-toming 
and singing, or rather howling, was quite 
terrific (so much so that the corporal of our 

guard awoke Captain T- ), and the temple 

where these rites were going on was close to the 
bungalow ; notwithstanding which, and the 



140 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



coughing and hookah-bubbling of our guards in 
the verandah, and the shrill cry of the jackals 
in the forest. I slept the sleep of the tired. 

Wednesday. March 10. 

We were called at two a.m. to send away 
the beds, as the bullocks are so slow : they 
took thirteen hours to perform yesterday's 
march of twenty miles ! I was very thirsty, 
and wished for some water from a well close by, 
but as our own drinking vessels were all gone 
on, none of the natives could be induced to lend 
me one of theirs, as the touch of a Christian 
would have polluted it ! We started at a 
quarter to five, a picturesque cavalcade with 
torch-bearers, and our guard in liuht m arching 
order, which in this country means sans culottes. 
or, at least, with only the slight apology for 
those garments called pyjamas, a loose cloth 
hanging gracefully over the thigh. The guard 
baring put their knapsacks on our carts, kept 
up very well for the first two hours, but after 
that the palkee-bearers took to racing, and fairly 
ran away from the soldiers, who dropped in, 
tired and panting, long after us. Day dawned 
over a fine expanse of hill and valley, about 
half an hour after our start, and the road lay 



LUXURIANCE OP VEGETATION. 141 



through a wild jungle, in parts very thick, over 
steep hills, and across many lovely streams, 
bordered by small green patches of paddy fields. 
I had often longed to see the luxuriance of 
tropical vegetation in the dense masses of a real 
jungle, and now I must say that its beauty far 
surpassed my most vivid imaginings. The 
variety of foliage, in colour of every shade, from 
brightest green to brilliant scarlet, the large 
size of many of the leaves, and the graceful 
pendant branches, connected by creepers and 
parasites, hanging from every spray, forming a 
tangled mass, with sunbeams glinting through 
it ; these, and the splendid wild flowers on 
every side, formed a scene almost unreal in its 
beauty, though the roar of a chetah, close to 
our path, reminded one of the fierce inhabitants 
of these lovely bowers. I was sorry I did not 
see the creature, but we came across the trail of 
a huge boa constrictor in the dusty road, nearly 
two feet wide ; and a short time ago one was killed 
near here, measuring seventy- six feet long ! 
Quantities of the silk- cotton trees grow by the 
roadside, with their splendid white flowers, 
which are collected by the people in heaps as 
they fall off. We passed long trains of carts 
and pack-bullocks, laden with this and the more 



142 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



profitable cotton from trie small plant, on their 
way to Vingorla, slowly dawdling along at about 
a mile and a half an hour. It is worthy of 
note that the ox and the ass are the only beasts 
used by the natives for draught in carts, the 
horse being reserved for nobler purposes. 
Another splendid tree, bearing enormous scarlet 
flowers, something like single camelias, attracted 
my attention, from its being the constant resort 
of innumerable birds, who peck at the flowers 
for the sake of a reservoir of honey which they 
contain. We were serenaded on. our march by the 
bulbiil , almost the only songster of India, whose 
note very much resembles that of the blackbird. 

We arrived at our destination, the Travellers' 
Bungalow at Baitsee, after a march of seven- 
teen miles, at half-past nine a.m., but as we 
passed our carts on the road, it was noon 
before we got any breakfast, though we did not 
starve, having brought a supply of bananas and 
biscuits in my palkee. Owing to my ignorance 
of the ways of the country, and consequent omis- 
sion of providing proper travelling equipage, our 
meals are conducted in a very primitive manner ; 
we have not a knife and fork apiece, and are 
obliged to resort to all sorts of expedients, such 
as forks made of bamboo, &c. ; and I regret 



THE HOL'l FESTIVAL. 



143 



much not having in my bag a portable case of 
such articles. The dancing and howling in the 
temples continued again all night, the noise 
being quite frightful, and we could distinguish 
the contant repetition of one monotonous phrase, 
which put one in mind of the priests of Baal, 
who cried, " Oh, Baal, hear us ! " from morning 
till evening, thinking they should be heard for 
their much repetition. It is curious how con- 
stantly one sees here illustrations of Scripture 
manners and customs— Orientalisms, which one 
did not enter into or understand before. For 
example, it appears certain from Deut. xxxiii. 
that the spot of coloured paint on the forehead 
or ear, common among the Hindus, was used 
among the Jews in a similar manner, to denote 
distinction of tribe or caste. 

Thursday, March 11. 

We were called at half-past one to have the 
carts packed, having despatched a servant with 
provisions over night, to ensure our getting 
breakfast. We started at five, and when day 
dawned were approaching the foot of the Earn 
Ghaut, the road winding through a thick jungle, 
till all further progress seemed impeded l)y an 
amphitheatre of hills closing round us. The 



144 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



sun rose at this moment on a scene of surpassing- 
beauty, tinting with rose colour the upper ridges 
of the mountains, whilst the lower parts were 
enveloped in a soft blue mist. We found to our 
dismay that all the extra bullocks kept at the 
foot of the Ghaut were out, so we were obliged 
to leave our baggage to its fate, as each cart 
requires three or four extra pairs to ascend the 
hill. The road up was exceedingly steep, so 
much so, one could hardly imagine how wheeled 
vehicles could ascend the high steps and banks 
composing it. It commanded splendid views 
over the different ranges of hills we had tra- 
versed, and was carried up spurs in the sides of 
the mountains. Each palkee had ten bearers 
pushing and pulling at it, and indulging in 
deafening noises to ease their exertions. The 
ascent is four miles long, and they ran us up in 
a surprisingly short time, so that we arrived at 
the bungalow at the top at half- past nine a.m. 
The accommodation was very limited, and there 
being no bedstead, and but one chair, I had to 
spread my mattrass on the floor, which, though 
of mud, was fortunately dry. The air is de- 
licious, much cooler than below the hills, and 
on a fine day Goa and the sea-coast may be seen. 
I regret much being unable to walk about and 



THE RM1 GHAUT. 



145 



explore the paths leading into the heart of the 
jungle. There are few cocoa-nut trees at this 
altitude, but the vegetation is very beautiful, 
and game of all sorts abounds, particularly the 
great blue-facecl monkey, the jungle pheasant, 
and pigeon, besides tigers, bears, &c, in great 
variety. I found some servants waiting here 
for me, engaged by a friend at Belgaum, who 
also kindly sent out a supply of bread, and the 
joyful news that relays of tattoos had been sent 
to meet my husband, who was expected to arrive 
in time to welcome me on my entrance to 
Belgaum. By great exertions our carts were 
got up the Ghaut by ten p.m., so that we were 
ready to continue our journey the next morning. 

Friday, March 12. 

I was called at three this morning with the 
information that the bullocks were asleep, the 
servants snoring, the sentries and bearers in 
the arms of Morpheus ; and, in short, that the 
whole party were so completely overcome by 
fatigue, that a morning's journey was impossible, 
and that we must make up our minds to remain 
quiet till the afternoon. As for me, I was 
asleep again almost before my head was laid 
on the pillow ; and the luxury of a long night 

L 



146 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



was so unexpected, that I awoke quite fresh 
and rested. After breakfast the bearers came 
to explain, that the. extra amount of howling 
they made coming up the hill yesterday, was 
an entreaty that the Sahibs would give them 
a buckree, or sheep, to feast upon, as a reward 
for their exertions. To this we agreed, and 
they shortly returned, bringing the buckree for 
the Mem Sahib to see ; and, stalking into the 
room, came a very tall, long-legged old Billy- 
goat ! When he left my presence, he was killed 
and eaten on the spot; the consequence of which 
was, that, when at two o'clock p.m. we pro- 
posed to start, the grumblings at the heat were 
great ; and when we were at last off, the bearers 
were so full and shortwinded, that they sat 
down every half-mile : however, as the buckree 
digested, the pace improved, and we got to Too- 
rookawarree at seven in the evening, a distance 
of eighteen miles. The road at first wound 
along a natural terrace on the Ghaut, from which 
the view was splendid; then, turning the 
summit, we gradually passed into a broad up- 
land valley, and finally emerged into the wide 
plain of the Southern Deccan. We soon lost 
sight of thick jungle, and came to scrub, inter- 
spersed with groups of magnificent trees, greatly 



DREADFUL DUST. 



147 



resembling English park scenery. In the dis- 
tance were fine hills, many of them crowned 
with ruined forts. 

The dust of this day's journey surpassed 
any thing of the sort I ever met with. Take 
the united dusts of Epsom and Ascot, and 
a windy day at Aldershot, and double the mix- 
ture, and you may have a faint idea of the at- 
mosphere one breathes on an Indian journey ! 
The gentlefolks of England, who live at home 
at " ease," have no idea of the difficulties, 
many would say hardships, to be encountered 
on a journey into the interior. Owing to the 
slowness of the bullocks, you are often days 
without being able to get at your principal bag- 
gage ; and, till your servants arrive, you have 
no means of washing and dressing, or even of 
getting a morsel of food, or a drink of water ; 
and the misery of continued broken rest and 
night journeys is not small. We handed over 
our guard at the Ram Ghaut to some travellers 
going down to Yingorla, who had, in addition, 
eight men they had brought from Belgaum, and 
the lady of the party even then professed to be 
in a desperate fright. For the last three days 
we have frequently passed over large tracts of 
burnt jungle, chiefly done, I believe, by our 
l 2 



148 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



soldiers to facilitate the clearance of trie robbers 
out of these wilds. 

Saturday, March 13. 

We were off at half-past four a.m., and 
journeyed through a very bare and ugly plain, 
sixteen miles to Belgaum, which we came 
upon suddenly, like an oasis in the desert, 
with its pretty camp embosomed in trees ; 
and, passing through a long straggling native 
town, finally attained our destination in the 

fort, where we found L awaiting us, who 

had arrived over night, having ridden seventy 
miles from Kolapore in advance of his battery. 
We found a comfortable bungalow prepared 
and furnished for us by the kindness of our 
friend Captain L , and it stands in a per- 
fect bower of flowers. The beauty of the trees 
and flowers in this place is excessive ; and I 
feel so happy at the successful termination of 
my journey, that I am inclined to view every 
thing couleur de rose. The bearers to-day in- 
dulged in funny impromptu songs, praising the 
buckree (probably in hopes of getting another), 
and groaning over the weight of the Mem Sahib 
and the noble Baba, and then laughing immo- 
derately at their own jokes. 



BLOWING AWAY THE REBELS. 



149 



CHAPTER VI. 

EXECUTION OE REBELS AT KOLAPORE — ARRIVAL OF 

BATTERY CAPTIYE RAJAH NAWAB OF SHAHPUR— 

PICNIC — ON THE MARCH AGAIN — STORM — TENT BLOWN 
DOWN — ARRIVAL AT KHAR WAR. 

L 's battery was detained on the march for 

a week at Kolapore, to assist in the execution 
of two native officers, who were convicted in the 
outbreak at that station, and sentenced to be 
blown away from guns. He thus describes the 
scene : — 

The troops in the garrison were formed in a 
long line on the Parade, with the guns in ad- 
vance of the centre, and the prisoners, unbound, 
standing amongst their guard. Their sentence 
was read in English at each end of the line ; 
after which the Brigadier- General Jacob, ad- 
dressed the native regiments in a fine animated 
speech in then own tongue. The prisoners 
then quietly, and with perfect stoicism, walked 
up to the guns, one of them, an old Subahdar, 
turning and salaaming to the gun as he passed. 
They placed themselves with their backs to the 
muzzles, and extended their arms, which were 
loosely tied to the wheels. They remained in 



150 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



this position, whilst the troops formed three 
sides of a square ; then the word was given to 
" make ready" and the glimmer of the portfires 
might be seen in the growing dusk of the even- 
ing. The moment of breathless suspense was 
cut short by the word— " Fire ! "—a puff of 
smoke — a discharge — and nothing remained, but 
a few small black fragments on the ground, and a 
smell of burnt flesh polluting the sweet evening 
breeze ! The natives, to the number of 4,000 
or 5,000, had assembled to witness the execu- 
tions ; but, unfortunately, they rather consider 
being blown away as an honourable death, and 
therefore the moral effect of such an example 
is lessened. 

One day, on the line of march, my husband 
observed a very small black imp seated on a 
gun-carriage ; and on inquiry, could only gather 
from the men that it was " Jingling Jack," and 
that 'they had found him: but by whom, or 
where he was found, remains a mystery. They 
begged to be allowed to keep him, and pet him 
and feed him like a dog. He speaks excellent 
English, and is very useful as an interpreter. 
He says he is twelve years old, and that his 
name was Jungle Johnny, which has been cor- 
rupted as above. Perhaps we may be able to 
get a little instruction for him here, and in the 



JINGLING JACK. 



151 



mean time L has fitted him out in tidy 

clothes. 

Sunday, March 14. 

I was delighted at being once more in church, 
and the one in the fort is a pretty little building, 
with the duty extremely well done. There were 
two couples of native Christians asked in mar- 
riage banns. I believe the Mission is in a 
more flourishing state than at Poona, and Sun- 
day is certainly better observed. 

Thursday, March 18. 

L 's battery marched in this morning, 

and is encamped in a grove, or tope, of 
mangos about two miles off. Captain T — — 

tells L that during our journey from Yin- 

gorla he was several times under some anxiety 
for our safety, (which I give him credit for 
never showing to me,) and that he would not, 
for any consideration, have had charge of a 
nervous lady. It was reported in Belgaum 
that we had been murdered in the jungle ; and 
he was met with congratulations on his safe 
arrival from his brother officers. It appears that 
we just got here in time, for the Chief of the 
robber tribes has since offered a reward for the 
head of every Sahib that is brought to him. 



152 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Friday, March 19. 

Reports are abroad of a field force being sent 
out, to punish the turbulent Rajah of Jumkundee, 
who has concealed quantities of arms, while pre- 
tending to be our firm friend. In this distracted 
country one never knows peace from day to 
day. 

Saturday, March 20. 

Heard nothing further about the field force. 
Late in the evening arrived the news of Sir 
Colin Campbell's recapture of Lucknow, which 
was sent round in a circular from house to 
house. 

Tuesday, March 23. 

As the small-pox is raging amongst the 
natives in the bazaar, we have been anxious to 
have baby vaccinated, and the doctor at last 
succeeded in procuring a Parsee child, who 
attended for the operation. It was not other- 
wise pretty, but had the most splendid eyes I 

ever beheld. In the evening L received a 

note from the General, asking if he would let a 
small bungalow in our garden, now used as an 
office, for the accommodation of a State pri- 
soner. Things are very properly kept as quiet 
as possible, so we know not who he may be, 
but a field force, not from here, but from 



THE STATE PRISONER. 



153 



Kaludghee, has gone out, probably to catch the 
individual in question. 

Friday, March 26. 

The turbulent Kajah of Jumkundee has given 
himself up very quietly to the troops sent 
against him, and arrived here to-day to await 
his trial. He is lodged, not in our Compound, 
but in a room near the gate, which has been 
fitted up for his accommodation. We saw his 
camels and baggage arrive, and a smart palkee 
for his little daughter, who is to share his 
captivity — poor child ! A requisition is now to 
be sent to all the neighbouring chiefs, to sur- 
render their remaining arms. I rode, for the 
first time, to the camp of the Koyal Artillery, 
charmingly situated in a mango tope, on a 
hill exposed to the fresh sea breeze, which, 
even at this distance from the coast, is most 
invigorating every evening. The country be- 
yond the camp is not unlike the general appear- 
ance of the South Downs, with quite green 
grass in some places, the first I have seen since 
I left England. "We called on the Collector and 
his wife, who are just preparing to set out on a 
tour in their districts, when, attended by a 
strong guard, they camp out for a month or 
two at a time. The lady sketches, and her 



154 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



husband performs the duties of a magistrate. 
It must be an agreeable life for those fond of 
the beauties of nature. 

Thursday, April 1. 

There has been early service every day in 
this (Passion) week, but to-day our Portuguese 
servants were suddenly seized with a violent fit 
of devotion. The butler rushed off to church 
before breakfast was over, followed by the cook 

and L -'s servant, and they made a regular 

day of it. I do not know why this day is 
thought so much of ; if it had been to-morrow 
I should not have been surprised. We rode into 
the country this evening, and found the grass on 
the hills in some places good for riding on, in 
others it is rotten and full of holes. Returning 
by the camp, we met the camels bringing the 
evening supply of hay for the horses, and wish- 
ing to see what their action was like, L 

and I each got on one, and found the motion 
particularly uneasy, and it was extremely diffi- 
cult to hold on during the triple motion made 
by the animal, in rising and kneeling down. 
First, a violent rear, and before you had re- 
covered that, an equally sudden kick, followed 
by a general plunge, and the camel was on his 
legs ; and the reverse of these motions had to 



DEATH OF A GUNNER. 



155 



be gone through, when he knelt down for you to 
* dismount. 

Saturday, April 3. 

We were much shocked to-day by a gunner 
of Bombay Artillery coming to the house to say 

that one of L 's men was lying murdered 

and stripped in the fort ditch. Upon in- 
vestigation this proves not to be the case, 
but it appears probable that the poor man had 
stayed in the fort last night after gun fire, and 
knowing the gate was shut, had tried to get 
over the wall, and took off his clothes for the 
purpose of swimming the moat, but it is sup- 
posed that he missed his footing in the darkness, 
and falling with his head on some rocks, got 
stunned, and consequently drowned. Poor 
fellow ! it is very sad, and he is the first loss 
from the little band who left England eight 
months ago 1 . We rode round the outside of the 
fort to examine the spot, and hurried home to 
escape a violent thunderstorm. 

Easter Monday, April 5. 

Several native Christians partook of the Holy 
Sacrament yesterday in our church ; the women 

1 With the exception of the sergeant, who died on 
board ship. 



156 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



all wore white sarees, and the men took off 
their turbans. Our little baby was baptized to- 
day at the fort church, and at the same time 
the little native " Jingle Jack," who appeared 
serious and attentive, and now goes to school, 
where he takes pains, and is reckoned quick. 

Thursday, April 8. 

The report is abroad that we are to go to 
Kaludghee in a fortnight. The General very 

kindly sent for L and proposed to arrange 

for him to go with the head- quarters of the 
battery to Dharwar, as Kaludghee is a very bad 
climate, and an undesirable place in many 
respects for a lady. This evening we rode 
through the native town of Shahpur, about two 
miles from Belgaum, which is entirely sur- 
rounded by a thicket of bamboo, and you enter 
it by a mud gateway, while on the right is a mud 
fort containing a few small guns. The streets or 
bazaars are curiously narrow, and in some places 
the houses almost meet overhead. There is a 
Mission Church in it. Great part of the town 
is built completely in the jungle, and the mix- 
ture of houses, trees, and gaily dressed natives, 
was very picturesque. The Nawab was away, 
otherwise we felt a great desire to call upon 
him, and see his menage, but we were told 



TOWN OF SHAHPUR. 



157 



this would be paying him too great a compli- 
ment, and that we ought to wait till he had 
called upon us, which he frequently does to the 
Sahibs in Belgaum. Outside the old mud fort 
lives an elephant, who we were informed was 
labouring under a periodical attack of insanity ; 
however, he appeared quiet enough to-day, and 
was amusing himself by tossing bundles of hay 
over his head. He was tied by enormous 
heel-ropes to a tree, and near him was an 
immense triumphal car, used in processions in 
honour of the idols, and intended to be drawn 
by the elephant, in his lucid intervals. It was 
curiously carved with figures of uncouth mon- 
sters. This is the most entirely aboriginal 
town I have seen, and besides being amused 
ourselves, we caused no little wonder among the 
natives, who followed us about in crowds. We 
left it by another gate, and on looking back 
at a distance of twenty yards, not a sign of 
human habitation could be discovered, so com- 
pletely is the place buried in the jungle. These 
thickets are intended as a means of defence, 
and would be very effectual with sharpshooters 
behind them. There are very few detached 
villages in this part of the country, the inhabit- 
ants chiefly living in these entrenched cities, a 



158 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



proof of the state of disquiet to which they are 
accustomed. 

Saturday, April 17. 

We had determined on undertaking a sport- 
ing pic-nic, and so sent on our new gary with 
the servants and provisions ; and heing our- 
selves called at three a.m., and joined hy two 
of our friends, proceeded on horseback across 
the plain, accompanied by a shikari, or hunter, 
and several beaters and torch-bearers, to a part 
of the country where game was said to be plen- 
tiful. A tent awaited us in a shady place about 
six miles off ; but, previously to arriving there, 
the gentlemen began to shoot as soon as it was 
daylight. The ground was very pretty — a plain 
covered with long grass, and low brushwood, 
with occasional spots of cultivation, and inter- 
sected by deep nullahs. Game was scarcer 
than we had been led to suppose ; but before it 
grew hot, some quail, a snipe^ a plover, and a 
brace of hares had been shot. We found the 
tent and our servants under the shade of a fine 
banyan tree, whose branches afforded a home 
to innumerable birds and squirrels, and a family 
of large green monkeys. One very fine one, which 

L fired at, finding the tree too hot to hold 

him, after endeavouring to defend himself by 



SHOOTING EXPEDITION. 159 

pelting us with berries, bits of sticks, &c, ran 
out to the end of a long branch, and, springing 
to the ground, made good his retreat across 
the open to the nearest tree, unharmed. We 
breakfasted off the produce of the chase, and 
afterwards started to return to Belgaum in 
the ganj ; but finding the road execrable, and 
clouds preventing the sun from being unplea- 
sant, we got on our horses, and cantered home 
by three p.m. The storms of thunder and 
lightning have been very violent for three 
evenings past. They always come on at the 
same hour ; and after recurring for three nights, 
stop for a few days, and then begin again. 
They are storms in anticipation of the breaking 
of the monsoon. 

Thursday, April 22. 

We went on another shooting expedition on 
some hills nearer to the camp ; but probably for 
that reason, there was less sport than before. 
We passed over many fields of the now ripe 
cotton : it is contained in the pod of a small 
low plant, very different from the magnificent 
flower of the silk- cotton tree, which, from some 
difficulty in spinning it, is little used. The 
weather is very hot and depressing. 



160 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Saturday, April 24. 

I went to see a curious old Jain temple in the 
yard of the Commissariat, but did not penetrate 
into the interior, as it is used as an office, and 
the clerk was absent. In the afternoon, re- 
turning from a long ramble on horseback, in 
the Kolapore direction, we were overtaken by 
a thunderstorm. The rain was very trifling; 
but the lightning, though so distant that we 
scarcely heard any thunder, was blinding. One 
side of the heavens was illuminated by a con- 
tinued sheet of light ; whilst out of it, in two 
places, vicious zigzag lines of blue fire darted 
through the skies. 

Friday, April 30. 

It is settled that Captain F , with a half- 
battery, are to go to Kaludghee, whilst L 

takes the head-quarters to Dharwar. To-day, 

L- being busy in making arrangements, I 

was sitting in the mess tent, when we saw a 
large elephant coming along the road, covered 
with red and green trappings, with a necklace 
of small bells, and two large bells hanging at 
his sides. On inquiry we found he belonged 
to the Nawab of Shahpur, and was going on a 
sporting expedition, being accompanied by men 
carrying boar-spears, &c. Permission was asked 



EIDE ON AN ELEPHANT. 



161 



for the Mem Sahib to mount him ; and accord- 
ingly he was stopped, and, after his quietness 

■ had been tested by Captain F and Mr. 

B— — , I scrambled on his back, by means of a 
chair set on a table, and seated myself between 

the driver and Captain F . The motion 

was very uneasy, and I had to hold on for 
the bare life, especially when the beast knelt 
down, or got up. He measured ten feet in 
height, and his foot was fifty-seven inches in 
circumference, and I believe he was the iden- 
tical mad elephant we had seen in Shahpur. 

Sunday, May 2. 

The half-battery marched yesterday en route 
to Kaludghee. Calling at the General's, we 
met the Nawab of Shahpur with his principal 
minister, paying a visit of ceremony, and I men- 
tioned having ridden his elephant the previous 
day. Keturning from church in the camp this 
morning in our gary, drawn by our young 
horse, we met the same elephant in a narrow 
part of the bazaar ; which alarming the horse, 
he shied into the gutter, where, missing his 
footing, he fell, and so bent the shafts, that he 
could not get up again ; and after some violent 
plunges, the harness all broke into little bits, 

M 



162 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



and he shook himself free, and, strange to say, 
did not kick ; but the poor gary had to be 
sent to be patched up ready for our start to- 
morrow. A very civil native came forward to 
our assistance, and lent his gary to convey us 
home. 

Monday, May 3. 

A busy day packing our goods, as we carry 
all our furniture with us, none being procurable 
at Dharwar. The only apparent use of the 
native servants is to put every thing into a 
state of hopeless confusion, by beginning to un- 
do all at once, and finishing nothing. Quite 
late, it was discovered that we had a cart too 
little ; and later still, that none had been sent 
for the Office- Sergeants, &c, who were in our 

compound. L and I went to take an 

early dinner in the mess tent, and then drove 
to the Commissariat, to try and obtain more 
carriages. Matters grew worse at home as' 
evening drew on, and it was beyond human 
power to get the servants to move. At last, 
quite exhausted, we lay down on the floor, with 
a cloak under our heads ; but rest was out of the 
question, between the assaults of mosquitoes, 
ants, and every species of venomous insect, and 
the unceasing noise of the natives, who can 



DIFFICULTIES OF TRAVEL. 163 



do nothing without shouting. At eleven p.m. 
we got up and endeavoured to make a start, 
but the bullock- drivers had to be stirred up with 
a big stick to wake them ; and some, including 
the driver of my gary, had levanted alto- 
gether, and one pair of bullocks was missing. 
An amateur driver was found for my gary, in 
the person of one of the ghorrawallas ; and 
soon after twelve we got under weigh, baby and 
I and the maid, in the gary, which was ac- 
companied by the Treasure-tumbril and a 
guard of six men, and followed by my horse, 
and a mounted orderly who was to attend me 
when I chose to ride. L — — and the battery 
had preceded us by half an hour, and we did 
not, of course, overtake them, but floundered 
on through the mud at the pace of about two 
miles an hour. A heavy thunderstorm in the 
afternoon had rendered the roads very sticky; 
so much so, that the kind old General sent to 
ask if we would not like to have the march 
postponed ; but as the weather appears break- 
ing, and the monsoon likely to set in, we thought 
it wiser to move whilst locomotion is possible. 

Tuesday, May 4. 
I remained in the gary trying to "sleep till 
m 2 



164 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



four a.m., and then mounting my horse cantered 
after the battery, which I overtook in about an 
hour. The remainder of the journey was en- 
livened by a galop after a pie (or pariah dog), 
and we arrived at the camping-ground at 
Hooblee soon after six. The tents and bag- 
gage being all in the rear, we took advantage 
of a traveller's bungalow, and lay down to 
get a little rest, of which I felt in great 
need, after twenty-five hours of hard work. 

In the afternoon Captain T- , L , 

and I, walked to a large tank near the vil- 
lage, where there were a good many wild fowl, 
and on a mound overhanging it, a temple 
picturesquely situated among a grove of 
splendid trees. The tamarinds are very com- 
mon here, and their light feathery foliage is 
particularly graceful. We dined at four, and 
the thunderstorm came on soon after, and, 
though we burnt a light in our room, the light- 
ning seemed to fill it with a blue fire, the thunder 
was deafening and continuous, and the rain 
poured down in one incessant sheet of water, 
so that sleep was impossible. 

Wednesday, May 5. 
Our horses broke from their pickets in the 



VIOLENT STORMS. 



165 



night, frightened by the violence of the storm, 
and, rushing amongst the lines of troopers, 
caused a confusion which may well be imagined, 
as most of the ghorrawailas were absent without 
leave, hidden away in some sheltered place. 
We were up and off at two a.m., over a country 
but little cultivated, except in patches of rice, 
banked up at the heads of the valleys, and 
flooded with water; and in many places we 
might have fancied ourselves traversing a 
heathy plain at home, the heath being repre- 
sented by various low thorny shrubs. 

On arriving at six o'clock at the camping- 
ground at Kittoor, we found the commissariat, 
but no quarter-master- sergeant, who, with two 
men, had been sent on over-night. It proved 
that in the storm and darkness they had missed 
their way, and had wandered on to a dak bun- 
galow some four miles farther, where L at 

last found them, very wet and miserable, having 
had neither food nor fire to dry their things. 
Kittoor is a considerable city, with a disaffected 
doubtful population. Mr. G— — and I walked 
all through it in the afternoon to the Fort which 
contains the ruins of the Ranee's palace, taken 
by us in 1824, after an insurrection in which 
two of the collectors of Dharwar were killed. 



166 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



We met with no incivility, though the sight of 
an English lady must have been an uncommon 
one; though I think an Indian couple walking 
through a country town in England would 
excite far more astonishment. There are two 
large tanks covered with water-fowl outside the 
city, and no less than four forts within a circle 
of two miles. We dined early, and fearing a 
recurrence of the storm had trenches dug all 
round the tents. 

Thursday, May 6. 

The storm broke with its accustomed violence 
soon after we got to bed, the lightning was 
terrific, and the rain was a deluge which soon 
overflowed the trenches, and poured in a stream 
through the tent. L — — had made up his mind, 
in consequence of the inclement weather, to 
push on at once to Dharwar, by a forced march 
of twenty miles, and the reveille was ordered to 
be sounded at eleven p.m., but he got up to put 
it off till one a.m. in hopes of an improvement. 
Our light went out, and we were lying damp and 
sleepless, when a miserable voice from without 
was heard, craving admittance. It was that of 
my poor maid, upon whom the tent under which 
she was sleeping had fallen, and, after narrowly 
escaping suffocation, she had crawled out from 



TENT BLOWN DOWN. 



167 



under the wet folds of canvass with no covering 
but a sheet wrapped round her ! It took a long 
time to get a light, for dire confusion reigned 
without; several of the soldiers' tents had 
fallen, and the horses were galloping loose and 
terrified through the encampment ; at last our 
things were rescued one by one from under the 
wet ruin, and very little was injured, fortunately. 

It was lucky that L had decided upon 

going on at once to Dharwar, for the muccadum 
of camels came to say that his animals could 
not carry the wet tents, so that we might have 
had to wait at Kittoor for a very uncertain 
period ; and, to add to the general discomfort, 
the Commissary made the weather an excuse 
for not furnishing bread for the soldiers, as he 
asserted it had all got spoiled on the road, and 
none is procurable in the native villages. The 
rain had abated by the time at which we got up, 
but returned with violence soon after we started. 
I remained in the gary till daylight, when, it 
then being fine, I rode the rest of the way into 
Dharwar across a bare, undulating country with 
a remarkably red soil. We were met, a few 
miles out of Dharwar, by some of the principal 
officers of the station, and I was taken to the 
house of the Commandant, who kindly insists 



168 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



on retaining us as his guests till we can take 
possession of a bungalow in the Fort. The 
troops are quartered in new temporary barracks 
inside the fort ; the horses are to have stables 
in the inner ditch, but, till these are completed, 
they are picketed in lines outside the east gate. 
This is the first field artillery that has ever been 
seen in this station, with the exception of 
a Bullock-battery from Madras, which passed 
through a short time ago; and we excite a great 
deal of attention from the natives, who assem- 
bled in vast numbers, and made our entry the 
occasion of a universal holiday, and many of 
the principal men walked round in the evening 
and minutely inspected the horses and guns, 
probably magnifying the half-battery into an 
army ! 

Friday, May 7. 

I was very tired, and L had an attack of 

low fever. We drove late to a large tank, 
resembling a lake, which is the favourite even- 
ing resort of the fashionables of tins small 
station. There seem to be a great many pretty 
roads in every direction, shaded by rows of 
trees, and the compounds are large enough to 
resemble English Parks, and the whole aspect 
of the country bears a delightful green, quite 



ARRIVE AT DHARWAR. 



169 



refreshing to the eye. Hospitality in this 
country, provided you have house-room, is a 
very easy affair. Here are we, occupying a 
suite of four rooms, but they are furnished, 
with two or three small exceptions, with our 
own furniture ; we are waited on by our own 
servants, ride our own horses, and interfere in 
no way with our kind and agreeable host, and 
the only expense we cause him, is the food we 
consume, which, compared with the price of 
provisions in England, is very trifling. The 
"Quality" of the station, consisting of eighteen 
ladies, have been to call upon me, entailing an 
arduous duty on our host, as, according to 
Indian customs, the master of the house is ex- 
pected to meet every lady at the door of her 
carriage, and conduct her into the reception 
room. 



170 LIFE IN INDIA. 



CHAPTER VII. 

A WEDDING- — SETTING IN OF THE MONSOON — BUMOUEED 
OUTBREAK — EIELD EOECE OEGANIZED — SUDDEN MAECH 

MUEDEE OE ME. MANSON DEMONSTEATION 

LADIES OEDEEED INTO THE EOET MATT, BOBBED 

TAKING OF ISLJEGOOND EETUEN OF COLUMN TO 

DHAEWAE. 

Tuesday, May 11. 

Damp depressing weather continues to prevail, 
with frequent thunder-storms. Numbers of 
white ants are now flying about and casting off 
their wings. They resemble large light brown 
moths with double wings and are very destruc- 
tive. Another enemy to wood-work here is the 
carpenter-bee, a beautiful insect, like a humble- 
bee in appearance, but three times as large, 
and of a brilliant dark-blue colour. They bore 
holes in the beams big enough to contain a 
pigeon's egg. We see a good many fire-flies 
now in the evening. They are a long brown 
fly, and carry a double lanthorn at the end of 
their tails. Two that got under my muslin 
dress caused a curious effect with their green 
light moving underneath. The glow-worms are 



WEDDING FESTIVITIES. 



171 



of enormous size. If you place one of them 
upon a book you can easily distinguish the 
words by the light of his lamp. A company of 
74th Highlanders marched in to-day from the 
jungle, where they have been encamped for 
months, keeping up a sort of border war with 
the robber tribes ; the remaining two compa- 
nies, who have been on the same service, are 
expected in a few days. 

A wedding took place to-day in the station, 
causing great excitement in so small a commu- 
nity. The ceremony, according to the usual 
custom in this country, took place at half-past 
seven in the morning, between which and the 
dejeuner at eleven there was a dreary interval. 
Then the happy pair, having no distant place to 
go to, and the weather not being inviting for 
camping-out, retired, after a weary day, to the 
gentleman's bungalow, where they will be ex- 
pected to shut themselves up for the ensuing 
week. I sincerely pitied all the parties concerned 
in the festivities. There is an old crippled beggar, 
who drives about this station in. his own carriage, 
drawn by a bullock, soliciting alms, which has a 
curious effect to an European eye. An anecdote 
of Sir Charles Napier I heard to-day, from an 
eye-witness, is so characteristic I cannot refrain 



172 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



from noting it down. At the battle of Meeanee, 
an officer of Engineers, who had been doing- 
good service, came up and said, " Sir Charles, 
we have taken a standard." The General looked 
at him, but made no reply, and, turning round, 
began speaking to some one else, upon which, 
the Engineer, thinking he had not been heard, 
repeated, " Sir Charles, we have taken a 
standard." Sir Charles turned sharp round 
upon him, with a thundering expletive, and 
said, " Then go and take another ! " 

Tuesday, May 18. 

There is no disputing the fact of the monsoon 
having thoroughly set in, though earlier than 
usual ; the temperature seldom exceeds seventy- 
eight, and, when it does not rain, the climate 
would be very pleasant if it were not for the ex- 
cessive damp, which (there being no means of 
drying any thing) gets into the whole house, so 
that every thing you touch is wet. The rides in 
the wild country among the hills near here are 
very pretty, specially in one direction, called 
the Chota Mahabaleshwar, from some fancied 
resemblance to the hills of that name ; and every 
thing is now of the most vivid green, which, con- 
trasting with the red soil, has a very pleasing 



DHARWAR GAOL. 



173 



effect. There is a small and very ancient 
Hindu temple on the top of a high hill, which 
is a conspicuous object from every side. It is 
approached by a gateway, and a series of steps 
in the side of the hill. Mr. E , the Assistant- 
Judge, took us over the gaol this afternoon. 
There are above 500 prisoners in it at present, 
many merely on suspicion of disaffection ; and 
amongst these we saw two fine-looking Sepoys, 
old pensioners of Government, who were caught 
drilling recruits for the Eajah of Jumkundee. 
There were a large number of prisoners await- 
ing trial, for the most atrocious murders and 
other crimes, and two or three under sentence 
of execution. A few suffer solitary imprisonment 
for two years ; though it is not strictly solitary, 
as they were allowed to see us, and also daily 
see the persons bringing their food. The cells 
contain blankets for the prisoners to lie on, 
and open into clean airy yards for exercise, 
which are sections of a circle, commanded by 
a look out on a common centre. Each caste 
has a separate cooking place. The prisoners 
are employed in weaving cloth, silk, and towel- 
ling. The gaol is encircled by high walls, with 
a guard of Sepoys, who keep sentry upon them, 
and call out the time every quarter of an hour 



174 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



during the night. Outside there is a separate 
building for the debtors, enclosed by a yard 
with an open iron railing, like a dog-kennel, 
and the whole precincts are encircled by a thick 
hedge of the prickly pear, with two guarded 
gateways. Some time ago, two prisoners ma- 
naged to escape ; and, covering themselves with 
their blankets, forced their way (no easy matter) 
through the hedge ; but they were so wounded 
and injured by the thorns, that they were easily 
overtaken, after having run a mile or two. We 
witnessed to-day, in the course of our ride, the 
drilling of a troop of Mahratta Horse, belonging 
to Colonel Malcolm's regiment. They were 
wild, fantastic-looking creatures, dressed in 
every variety of colour and costume (being in 
undress), and mounted upon mares, varying in 
size and colour. They are excellent soldiers, 
when commanded by Englishmen. Each trooper 
provides his own charger, and is accompanied 
on the march by a servant, with a tattoo, or 
pony, carrying all he requires ; so that, being 
unencumbered with baggage, they can perform 
the most astonishing marches, and move with 
a rapidity impossible to regular troops. 



RUNAWAY BULLOCKS. 



175 



Monday, May 24. 

A Royal salute was fired at daybreak in 
honour of Her Majesty's birthday. No parade 
took place, as the troops have no full dress. 
We went out to return some visits, in the gary 
drawn by a pair of bullocks, which we have 
hired ; and after narrowly escaping a capsize at 
the traverse near the fort gate, the bullocks 
suddenly set ofT at full gallop, rushed round a 
corner into a strange compound, and, throwing 
the driver from his seat, continued their head- 
long course down a hill, spreading devastation 
among the young trees of a plantation ; and we 
fully expected a smash and an overturn. But 
no ! the wilful creatures stopped as suddenly 
as they set off, and we discovered that they had 
no string through their noses (which is the 
usual way of guiding these animals), and the 
only wonder was, that we escaped so well. Re- 
turning from our ride this evening we were 
annoyed as we were passing the back of the 
village by a dreadful smell proceeding from 
the carcases of dead animals thrown out to be 
devoured by the wolves and jackals, and pre- 
sently we came to a ghastly fence thrown across 
the road, consisting of skeletons and bones ! 
Such nuisances, which are common in the 



176 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



environs of every village, ought, of course, not 
to be allowed in a climate like this, tending as 
they must do, to spread disease. 

Tuesday, May 25. 

We had just left the fort on our evening's 
ride, when we were overtaken by one of the sub- 
altern officers, who was sent to tell L that 

news had arrived of an outbreak somewhere to 
the south, where a treasury has been looted, 
and the rebels are supposed to be in possession 
of the fort of Dummel. In consequence, an 
order has arrived for two guns Royal Artillery, 
two companies 74th Highlanders, and one com- 
pany 28th N. I. to be in readiness to start at a 
moment's notice. This is startling news, and 

what adds to my anxiety is, that L has 

been suffering severely lately from intermittent 
fever and ague, and is by no means in a fit 
state of health to take the field, and the whole 
anxiety and trouble will fall on him, as he will 
command the expedition. One gun R.A. and 
one company 74th are to be left to garrison 
this place ! The worst part of the expedition 
is that it will be all across the Black Plain, 
where there are no made roads, and after rain 
the soil is popularly supposed to be impassable, 



THE DISARMING ACT. 



177 



so that the question will be, how the troops are 
to return. Our Commandant here, says that it 
will be impossible without dismounting the 
guns ; however, we have now had a break of 
some days in the monsoon, and we must only 
hope the fine weather may last long enough to 
chastise the rebels, who it is not likely will 
wait to be shot at, and as they are not troubled 
with baggage and a commissariat, they can 
easily make themselves scarce. 

Wednesday, May 26. 

No fresh news this morning from head- 
quarters at Belgaum, but we have reason to 
suppose that there has been some exaggeration 
in the accounts that have reached us, and that 
the disturbances have been chiefly caused by 
the forcible carrying out of the Disarming Act, 
which is extremely distasteful to the natives, 
who consider their arms as heirlooms, and hand 
them down from generation to generation. In 
the evening our peace of mind was disturbed by 
a telegram from the General, which was re- 
peated before it could be answered, requiring to 
know the exact available number of Europeans 
in garrison here. The whole of this southern 
Mahratta country is ripe for rebellion, and is 

N 



178 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



only kept from breaking out, by our large force ; 
and the natives are very likely to be trouble- 
some during the bad weather, when they can 
move so much more easily than we can. 

Thursday, May 27. 

The order arrived to countermand the march 
for the present and to send the hackeries 
(carts) away. The great difficulty of moving 
troops quickly in this country, consists in there 
being no organized means of transport, so that 
when carts are wanted to carry baggage, they 
are ' ' pressed" in the nearest village, and placed 
under a guard till they are wanted, to the not 
unnatural discontent of their owners ; and the 
carts are so small, that the difficulty of pro- 
curing a sufficiency of them, is very great. On 
the present occasion, though the fort was 
crowded with the number that had been col- 
lected, yet there was not nearly enough, and 
when once the carriage necessary for the soldiers 
is collected, no regard is paid to the convenience 
of the officers, so that if hackeries are scarce, their 
baggage is sometimes left behind. This lately 
happened on a march from one station to 

another of the 74th Highlanders. L was 

better to-day, though still very weak. In the 



THE RAJAH OF NURGOOND. 179 

afternoon we drove to the foot of a hill crowned 
by an old mosque, which I wished to sketch. 
Near the mosque was a small Hindoo temple, 
and as there was no one present, I stepped in to 
examine the idol. It was a shapeless mass 
of black marble, placed on an altar strewed 
with fresh flowers, which were also scattered in 
little niches at the sides. The building was a 
plain square, of cut stone, with no opening but 
the door. It was surmounted by a simple 
cornice, and at each corner there was a statue of 

a Brahmin bull. Colonel M came to see 

us on our return, to tell us that Bim Bao, the 
leading man in the late disturbances, has 
escaped from the police, and taken refuge with 
the Bajah of Nurgoond, a hill fort about thirty 
miles from here. This Bajah, whose staunch- 
ness has been for some time suspected, sent to- 
day to the Collector here, saying the people about 
him were in a very unsettled state, and that he 
wished to have arms given back to him. The 
answer he received was, that if necessary some 
.English troops should be sent to his assistance, 
but no arms trusted to his keeping. It is 
thought likely that he will throw off the mask ; 
and besides our little force here, a siege-train 
from Belgaum is ordered to be in readiness. 
n 2 



180 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Friday, May 28. 

The hackeries were again collected in the 
fort to-day ready for any emergency. No 

news stirring, but as Col. M was spending 

a quiet evening with us, he was sent for by an 
urgent message from the Collector. 

Saturday, May 29. 

I went out alone sketching as usual this 

morning, L being busy on military duties. 

I proceeded round the outside of the fort to a 
view I wished to draw, and when I had com- 
pleted my sketch, was returning home quietly 
when I met L — ■ — , who had been searching 
every where for me, being quite frightened at my 
absence, as the accounts from the districts are 
very alarming, the whole country appearing 
ripe for mischief ; and an order is issued forbid- 
ding any soldier to leave the fort, which is being 
provisioned in case of a siege, and there are 
rumours of bricking up the south-west gate, 
which is the weak point. It appears that the 
Eajah of Nurgoond has thrown off the mask, 
and is prepared to defend himself in his strong 
fort, which is situated on a pinnacle of an 
isolated rocky hill, rising perpendicularly out of 
the Black Plain. The Nizam's northern frontier 



DISPOSITION OF FIELD FORCE. 181 

is also disturbed, and a force has been sent 
there from Poona, and we hear that the Chiefs 
are worshipping their guns, a sign with them of 
preparation for war. About two o'clock the 
Brigade-major came to say that, in obedience to 
a telegram from the General, the Field force 
was to be prepared to move in an hour after 
the receipt of a second message. They are to 
be joined by Colonel Malcolm and 200 Mahratta 
Horse, and to rendezvous at a place called Noul- 
goond, twelve miles from Nurgoond, the native 
magistrate of which has written for assistance. 
The movements of the force are to depend on 
the advice of Colonel Jacob, the principal 
Political here, and Mr. Manson (who so cleverly 
captured the chief of Jumkundee), both of whom 
are near the disturbed districts. Accordingly we 

packed up L 's camp necessaries, got some 

dinner cooked, and sat waiting. At last, at six 
o'clock, we got on our horses and cantered off 

to Colonel M 's, who said the troops would 

not now be sent till morning, so we returned to 
dinner and bed, fully expecting every moment 
to be aroused. 

Trinity Sunday, May 30. 

The night passed off quietly. The morning 
orders confined the soldiers to barracks, but 



182 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



L decided on going to church himself, 

leaving word to be sent for if wanted. On our 
drive to church we were met by a messenger 

from Colonel M , with a note containing 

these words, " Pull off your boots, and hang up 
your sword, for the expedition is postponed,''" 
so we proceeded on our way, and went through 
the sacred services of the day with comfort, 
though a shade of anxiety was caused by the 
Collector being sent for in the middle of the 
service. 

We were sitting quietly at home at four 
o'clock, thinking all disturbance over for this 
day at least, when a messenger arrived from the 
brigade-major with the order for an immediate 
turn out, and the force to march in an hour! 
Expresses and telegrams have arrived, saying 
that the country is up in every direction, and evil 
rumours are afloat in Belgaum. It was lucky 
that the time was so short : I had none to waste 
on selfish repinings. My husband's packing had 
to be completed, and a hurried dinner got ready 
for him, and then I mounted my horse, to go as 
far with him as was considered prudent. The 
troops assembled outside the east gate, and 
suffered some delay from two accidents at 
starting, the fall of a gun horse in the gateway, 



TROOPS TAKE THE FIELD. 



183 



and the pole of a store cart being broken by 
refractory bullocks. The little force consisted 
of one 9 -pounder gun, and one 24-pounder 
howitzer, Royal Artillery, two companies 7 4th 
Highlanders, and one company 28th Native 
Infantry. They are to march fifteen miles, 
and enter into communication with Colonel 
Malcolm, who will join them with his Mahratta 
Horse ; and the object of the expedition is to be 
the chastisement of the chief of Nurgoond. An 
immense crowd of natives were assembled to see 
the parade of the tiny force, and the cheering 
of, and fraternization with their own regiment of 
N.I., was rather more than was pleasant to see. 
We were thronged on all sides on the march 
through the bazaar, and I could catch remarks 
about the " Mem Sahib," who they evidently 
believed was going to imitate the Ranee of 
Jhansi, and lead the troops into battle! I 
could almost have wished it had been so, for to 
be parted now, and left behind with actual war 
at our very gates, is indeed most dreadful. . . 
The sun was setting, when, about four miles from 
Dharwar, I was sent back to my solitary home, 

under the care of Mr. G ; every one is very 

kind to me. Colonel M looked in as he 

said " to speak a word of comfort," and a neigh- 



184 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



bour, Mrs. L , stepped over to see I was 

not lonely, as baby being asleep, I sat with my 
new companion " Toby," who deserves a few 
words to himself. He is a large dog, I am 
afraid I must own of pie descent, in appearance 
something between a greyhound and a terrier, 
boasting neither ears nor tail, but with a gentle 
face, and large loving eyes, and he is an 
excellent guard. He belonged to one of the 
poor officers of the 27th Bombay N.I. who 
were murdered at Kolapore last year, and when 
my husband's battery marched through that 
place he attached himself to the officers, and 
has been the mess dog ever since. On the 
Battery taking the field, he has been left as my 
protector, and has been tied up in my house 
for several days to accustom him to it, and 
to-night, though evidently disconsolate for the 
loss of his friends, he seems to consider me as 
his peculiar care, and follows me about every 
where. 

Monday, May 31. 

I could not help passing a nearly sleepless 
night, and fancying I heard guns and sinister 
noises. On going in the morning into a friend's 
house, I saw at once that something was amiss, 
though they were kindly striving to hide it from 



MURDER OF POLITICAL AGENT. 185 

Hie. On explaining that it was far more for 
my peace to be kept openly au fait of the worst, 
than to be left in ignorance and the prey of the 
phantoms of my own imagination, I was told of 
the dreadful murder of poor Mr. Manson, the 
political agent, on Saturday night. He left 
Belgaum a few days ago with fifty sowars, 
thinking by his presence to quiet the disturbed 
districts, and prevent an outbreak. On the 
evening of the 29th he reached Eamdroog, a 
fort belonging to a brother of the Nurgoond 
chief, but whose policy seems to be more 
favourable to us at least for the present, and 
he endeavoured to dissuade Mr. Manson from 
venturing into the territory of Nurgoond, which 
he averred was in open rebellion. The un- 
happy gentleman, brave almost to rashness, and 
still counting on his former intimacy with the 
treacherous Mahratta, would not be turned 
from his purpose, but pushed on late in the 
evening to a village half-way between the two 
places. His palanquin was placed in a temple, 
and he went to sleep, four or five sowars 
keeping guard round him, and the rest re- 
maining outside. Here in the dead of night, he 
was surrounded by the rebels from Nurgoond, 
in number about 800, under their Kajah in 



188 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



person, who with his own hand consummated 
the dreadful deed, whilst the escort, who fought 
bravely, were cut to pieces and overwhelmed. 

This sad intelligence was conveyed to the 
Collector of Dharwar by a letter from Eamdroog 

himself. The Collector, Mr. , and his 

wife, were staying as guests with the Nurgoond 
monster not two months since, and but a week 

ago he himself wrote to Mr. , as I 

mentioned, begging for arms and aid. I had a 

cheery note from L , sent in by a Coolie. 

Their first night's march was very prosperous, 
and they hoped to effect a junction with Colonel 
Malcolm this afternoon, and then, I suppose, 
they will have to wait the arrival of the siege 
train, which (alas for indecision and red tape!) 
has not yet left Belgaum, when every moment 
is so precious, as, if the fine weather fails, and 
the heavy guns are overtaken by rain in the 
Black Plain, they will be worse than useless. 
A little demonstration was got up here this 
afternoon, to show the natives we had still some 
English soldiers left. The few remaining High- 
landers, accompanied by the one miserable gun, 
sallied forth by the east gate of the fort and 
marched in at the other, before which the 28th 
N.I. were parading. There had been an idea of 



TIGEB-SHOOTING EXTBAOBDINABY. 187 

dragging out one of the two howitzers be- 
longing to the fort, but there was neither horses 
nor harness for it. I think it was questionable 
whether the whole affair was not rather a display 
of our weakness. The gunners and drivers left 
here (amounting to twelve in all) now patrol 
nightly, whilst the gentlemen ride in a body 
about the cantonment, at uncertain hours 
during the night. Two carts, laden with the 
carcases of two magnificent tigers, were brought 
for me to see to-day. They had been shot by 
our doctor, early yesterday morning, a singular 
piece of luck for the first attempt at such game. 
He did not return till late last evening, when 
he found that a different kind of sport was to 
be pursued, and after a few hours rest he, with 
one companion, galloped their tired horses after 
the troops, a by no means safe or agreeable 
ride, though happily accomplished without in- 
terruption. 

Tuesday, June L 

I read another mystery on the face of a 
friend this morning, which on being explained 
related to a despatch from Colonel Malcolm, 
announcing his intention of engaging the enemy 
to-day, whose force amounts to about 3,000, 
whilst our little band scarce numbers .300. I 



188 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



heard distinctly the booming of cannon at 
intervals during the afternoon, and the anxiety 
and suspense were very hard to bear. Fortu- 
nately I had plenty on my hands, in looking 
after my late maid, who, poor thing, was obliged 
to leave me a fortnight ago, and was established 
with her husband in a little house near ours. 
This morning she was taken ill, and brought 
forth a little son. I have engaged a Portu- 
guese Ayah for myself, but my greatest comfort 
in the house is in old James, our soldier ser- 
vant, who is left to look after me, and with 
whom I feel sure baby is safe. 

This evening I rode with Mr. G to the top 

of a high rocky hill, from whence we could see 
Nurgoond looming black and murky out of the 
plain. Heavy clouds were gathering, and occa- 
sional flashes of lightning promised a renewal of 
the monsoon. Oh, how I longed to know what 
was doing at that distant hill ! I received a little 

scrap in pencil from L without date, but 

evidently written yesterday, saying he was just 
going to join Colonel Malcolm. By the wish of 
our good Commandant I went to-day to offer what 
accommodation I could to a lady in the canton- 
ment, whose brother being away was with her 
sister left alone ; and as Colonel M did not 



CAVALRY SKIRMISH. 



189 



think it altogether quite safe outside the fort, 
it was arranged that one sister should come to 
sleep in my house, and the other and her 
children in another bungalow in the fort, till 
things look a little brighter. My guest did not 
arrive till quite late in the evening, and, to save 
appearances with the Natives, she and her sister 
have agreed to go out and live during the day 
in their own house. 

Wednesday, June 2. 

After a little sleep, I awoke to the con- 
sciousness of anxiety and suspense. Toby 
growled and barked during most of the night ; 
but I am losing the thought of personal fear, 
in overwhelming anxiety for those in the field. 

A letter from Captain T , who has joined 

the force, came in to-day, describing Colonel 
Malcolm, with his Horse, having attacked a 
body of the enemy which had sallied out of the 
fort, and driven them back with the loss of fifty 
men; a few were wounded, but none killed on 
our side. Colonel Malcolm's horse received a 
sabre-cut. The Artillery were not engaged in 

this action ; but at the moment Captain T 

wrote, they were firing into and endeavouring 
to clear the town. These were the guns I 
heard yesterday. Thank God ! no bad news ; 



190 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



but one does so pine and thirst for particulars. 
I go every day to see the sick men in the hos- 
pital, to tell them what news I hear, which is 
always received with extreme interest. A com- 
pany of 20th Native Infantry from Belgaum 
came in this morning, and are to go on in the 
evening with the whole remaining men of the 
74th Highlanders, who are to be replaced here by 
two companies of Her Majesty's 56th, expected 
to-night ; and, in the intervening hours, both the 
fort gates are to be guarded by our twelve gun- 
ners, it not being thought advisable to entrust 
them to the Sepoys. Considering the state of 
the public mind, what appears to me a foolish 
thing is being done here now ; i. e., the counting 
the money in the Treasury, which happens to 
be unusually full. Two officers, with native 
clerks, are employed in this duty, and yester- 
day counted rupees to the amount of 150,000/. ; 
and there will, perhaps, be as much more to- 
day, while Sepoy sentries look in with greedy 
eyes at the piles of silver on the floor. Kind 

Colonel M came to tell me the evening 

news: which was, the establishment of our 
troops in the town of Nurgoond, situated at the 
foot of the hill, where it is supposed they will 
remain quietly blocking up the rebels in the 



TOWN OF NUEGOOND TAKEN. 191 

fort till the arrival of the tardy siege-train. 
There is good news from a Madras column, 
who have taken the fort of Copal, and killed 
Bim Kao, who had fled thither from Nurgoond. 
It is hoped this may frighten the Rajah of the 
latter place, and shorten the business. Go- 
vernment offers a reward of 10,000 rupees for 
his capture. It appears that he was impelled 
to the horrid murder of poor Mr. Manson by 
revenge for the latter' s capture of his dearest 
friend, Jumkundee ; and it is also said, that the 
Ranee of Nurgoond is, in a great measure, at 
the bottom of the rebellion. They have no 
children, and our Government have refused to 
sanction the Mahratta custom of the adoption 
of an heir to the throne, which, in the event of 
the Rajah's death, gives the regency and su- 
preme authority to his widow ; but now, leaving 
no successor, his Jhaghire will lapse to our rule, 
and the Ranee's power be at an end. 

The Madras Post was stopped this morning 
about four miles from this station, and the con- 
tents of the bag torn up, and scattered to the 
winds. Some of the alarmists try to frighten me 
about my daily rides, to which I look forward as 

my greatest refreshment ; but Colonel M 

supports me in my opinion that there is no danger 



192 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



on horseback. This evening we rode to a hill 
surmounted by a Hindoo temple, from whence 
we had a fine view over the plain ; and I never 
saw Nurgoond stand out so distinctly, — even 
the very scarpings of the rock could be dis- 
tinguished. It thundered a good deal this 
evening ; and late, just after the departure of 
the Highlanders, two companies of Her Ma- 
jesty's 56th marched in, every lady in the sta- 
tion sending her gary to bring in the foot- 
sore men, who had marched from Belgaum in 
three days. 

Wednesday, June 3. 

A few lines arrived from L just as I was 

going out this morning, saying they were in 
possession of the town of Nurgoond, but had 
expended nearly all their ammunition, and 
there is none here to send them, except the little 

belonging to Mr. G 's one gun, which will 

be despatched this evening. God was very 
merciful to my dear husband, who had a most 
narrow escape. Galloping through the town 
at the head of his men, he heard a tremendous 
explosion behind him ; and, looking back, be- 
held the leading gun, men, and horses, blown 
into the air, by the explosion of a train of gun- 
powder. The two drivers were badly wounded, 



FLIGHT OF THE REBELS. 



193 



two horses killed on the spot, and the others so 

much burnt that they cannot survive. L 

wrote on a scrap of paper, (none of the 
baggage having come up,) and the men had 
been without food for twenty-four hours. On 
my return from my morning ride, Colonel 

M looked in, to say a despatch from Colonel 

Malcolm, dated three hours later than my 
note, had arrived, saying, that the enemy had 
evacuated the Fort, and were in full flight, and 
that he and the Artillery were off in pursuit. 
The escape of the Kebels is unfortunate, but I 
hope a good many will be caught : somehow or 
other, this is the way things are always managed 
in this country. If the whole of our force had 
been despatched in time, it could not have hap- 
pened. There is reason to believe the Chief has 
gone towards Kopal, not knowing it had been 
taken, in which case we may hope to catch him. 
It is not known what has become of the Kanee, 
but in part of the palace was found a quantity 
of sandal-wood prepared for a funeral pile : how- 
ever, I suppose she preferred the chance of a 
lengthened life, even in obscurity. A pro- 
clamation, taking possession of the territories 
of Nurgoond in the Queen's name, is being 
prepared, to be published all over the country. 

o 



194 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



A battery of Bombay Artillery marched into 
Dharwar to-day, en route to the scene of action ; 
but being too late, they will now be detained 
till further accounts arrive. Our excellent 
Chaplain gives evening services on Wednesdays 
and Fridays ; and to-night, in his sermon, he 
alluded to the present times of peril, impressing 
the duty of submission to, and unbounded trust 
in, an All-merciful Providence. 

Friday. June 4. 

Mr. G and I rode out this morning to 

meet the long-expected siege train, dragging its 
lazy length along the road. Such miles of carts 
for the materiel belonging only to six heavy guns, 
give some idea of the carriage required for a 
siege. The siege train was accompanied by 
another company, 56th, under our old friend 

Captain T . Our Fort is now over full, and 

some of the troops will have to go back again to 
Belgaum before the field force returns, but I 
fancy the heavy guns will be left here. Letters 
arrived from my husband, telling me of their 
start towards Kopal ; it is probable that, finding 
it taken and Bim Bao slain, they may soon come 
in, if all remains quiet. The story of the short 
campaign is simply this. As soon as the little 



TAKING OF THE TOWN. 195 

force from here joined Colonel Malcolm and his 
150 Mahratta Horse, a reconnaissance was made , 
and they sat down in a camp about five miles 
from Nurgoond. A party of about 2,000 of the 
rebels, headed by the Eajah, sallied out from 
the Fort on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 1st, 
and Colonel Malcolm dashed at them with his 
flying horse, cutting up about forty ; and by the 
time the Artillery and 74th came up, the rest 
had retreated into the town. Skirmishers were 
thrown out, and the guns opened fire, and, 
gradually advancing, drove the enemy to evacu- 
ate the town and to take refuge in the Fort. It 
is a large place, and by the time our troops took 
possession they had only eight rounds of ammu- 
nition left. The practice of the two little guns 
was beautiful, searching every comer; and, 
excepting the sufferers from the explosion, no 
casualties occurred on our side, though the 
enemy's musketry rattled pretty freely be Ween 
the intervals, and one or two great guns from 
the Fort boomed overhead. The principal 
Brahmins had taken refuge in a large temple, 
into the midst of which the howitzer dropped 
three shells in succession. Thirteen dead 
Brahmins were afterwards found in this temple, 
and the rest, finding the place too hot to hold 
o2 



196 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



them, fled with great precipitation. The havil- 
dar of the temple, or chief priest, either afraid 
of the consequences of his implication in the 
rebellion, or else unable to endure the desecra- 
tion to which his holiest places would be ex- 
posed, drowned himself in a tank close to the 
palace. The town being ours, Colonel Malcolm 
sent for the baggage, under a party of High- 
landers, to come in from the camp ; but by a 
suspicious mistake they were fired upon in the 
dark by the Sepoys of the 28th N.I., and re- 
turned to their camp to await daylight. 

At seven o'clock on the following morning, 
the 2nd June, the storming party proceeded to 
ascend the steep and rugged pathway leading 
from the town to the principal entrance of the 
Fort, consisting of two gateways (one a very 
strong one lined with iron), which were pro- 
posed to be blown open by powder bags, ad- 
justed by Lieutenant White, Bombay Engineers, 
and Lieutenant Burn, Koyal Artillery, who had 
volunteered for the duty. Happily it was not 
required of them. They approached unmolested. 
Not a shot was fired, or man seen, until they were 
within a few yards of the gate, when a single 
head peeped over, who was instantly saluted 
by a couple of rifles, though without effect, and 



EVACUATION OF THE FOBT. 197 

he then commenced throwing stones on his 
assailants. A soivar now stepped forward, 
offering to scale the wall, and in an instant he 
had climbed to the top, and, unbarring the 
gate, admitted our advancing party to an empty 
Fort, containing only a few frightened natives of 
no rank, three of whom were seized with such a 
panic that, not listening to the assurances of 
our troops that they would be spared if they 
surrendered, they jumped over the precipice 
and were dashed to pieces. Thus fell Nurgoond, 
without a blow being struck in its defence ! It 
is the strongest Fort on this side India, and had 
bid defiance even to the victorious Tippoo Sahib, 
and even now fifty resolute men might have held 
it for a long time, and rendered the toivn below 
perfectly untenable for our little force. It is said 
that when the Rajah of Nurgoond fell upon poor 
Mr. Manson, he cut off his head with his own 
hand, and, holding it up, exclaimed, " Now you 
cannot arrest me, as you did my brother Jum- 
kundee ! " Mr. Manson's headless body was 
left on the spot of his murder, and has been 
taken to Kaludghee and buried. What became 
of the head is not yet known. 

Saturday, June 5. 

Mr. E -, who has ridden in from Nur- 



198 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



goond, came to see me, and tell me all the 
gossip of " the campaign." One never heard 
of a more arrant set of cowards than the rebels 
proved themselves, and they were butchered 
like sheep by the Sepoys of the 28th, who, 
when their blood is up, are wonderfully cruel. 
There was one poor inoffensive old man, living 

just outside the town, who, as L dashed 

by, was on his knees begging for mercy. Of 
course, no Englishman would have harmed him, 

and it never occurred to L that an order to 

protect him was necessary, but somehow after- 
wards his mind misgave him. On inquiry it 
proved too true, that the poor old creature and 
his family had all been murdered in cold blood 
by their own countrymen ! Of course, the 
townspeople have suffered a good deal, but such 
is the sad effect of war. It is said that the 
prize-money ought to be large, and the soldiers 
have got a good deal of plunder, though mixed 
with valuables there was a quantity, past belief, 
of English Brummagem rubbish. 

The Kajah's conduct is perfectly incomprehen- 
sible ; one cannot imagine why he provoked such 
an attack, if he was not prepared to hold his Fort. 
But his career is nearly over. When he fled 
from Nurgoond, he took with him seven of his 



CAPTURE OF THE RAJAH. 



199 



principal followers, (all of whom were present at 
Mr. Manson's murder,) and repaired to the 
jungle on the banks of the Mulpurba, not far 
from Kamdroog. Mr. Soutar, head of the Bel- 
gaum police, was after him with his sowars, 
and all the day of the 2nd was dogging his 
steps ; and towards sunset the Eajah, having 
left his horse and arms, was taken, literally 
hiding in a bush, and, with his retainers, has 
been sent for trial to Belgaum. The bodies of 
the Banee and the Bajah's mother were found 
drowned in the river at some distance, thus 
completing the catastrophe of the Nurgoond 
family. Finding Kopal taken and all disturb- 
ances over in that direction, Colonel Malcolm 
sent my husband back to command at Nur- 
goond, and try and restore things to an orderly 
settled state; which is somewhat difficult in the 
confusion and licence of a sacked town. One of 
his troubles has been with the Bajah's elephants. 
Of course, the mahouts had fled, and there was 
no one to feed them, or give them water, and 
they were nearly in a rabid state before a mahout 
from a distance could be procured, at great 
trouble and expense. A worse difficulty has 
been how to dispose of the dead bodies, which 
are very numerous, and no native will touch 



200 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



them. He was going to have a great fire lit, 
and make the soldiers burn them. Amongst 
others, there was the swelled and distorted 

corpse of a Brahmin, lying near L 's 

quarters, which was dreadfully offensive, but 

which nobody would remove, and L did 

not like to have any indignity shown to it, as a 
Brahmin is considered so very sacred a per- 
sonage that any insult to one of that caste 
might almost have caused a mutiny among the 
Sepoys. 

Monday, June 7. 

L — — sent to-day for some cholera medicine, 
as the place is getting unhealthy from the 
stench of the dead bodies, and many of our 
people are ill ; but he expects soon to return 
home. 

Tuesday, June 8. 

Dr. A came in to breakfast, having 

ridden on in advance of the column, with the 

joyful news for me that L would be in by 

one o'clock, having left his two guns under Mr. 

B to garrison Nurgoond, and made a forced 

march straight in here with some ammunition 
waggons. I had got ready to ride and meet 

L , when a figure, so disguised in gay 

turbans and prize shawls that I did not know 



SPOILS OF WAR. 



201 



him, stood before me, saying, ' ' Master in Fort," 
and I recognized his servant "Kader," re- 
splendent in loot. I rushed out, and found my 
dear husband quite well, .the excitement having 
prevented any return of fever. 

Poor Mr. Manson's head was found in a tank 
yesterday, and buried. His socks and hat were 

found in the palace. L has brought very 

few tokens of his " war," except a camel, which 
he bought cheap, thinking to sell him to advan- 
tage ; but I am much touched by the number- 
less bits of small loot brought for me by the men 
and officers. Among them I may mention several 
copper Gods, or Bammysammies as they are 
called, and the whole paraphernalia oflf the altar 
in the great temple (consisting of an idol of 
black marble, in the shape of a bull, a brass 
lamp and extinguisher, and a copper spoon for 
the oil); besides which I have a tiny chest of 
drawers, taken out of the Eanee's room in the 
palace, and containing reels of gold and silver 
thread, and a beautiful silver-handled chowrie, 
or fly-swisher, also found in the palace. I fancy 
the soldiers have got a good deal, but owing to 
L being ordered in pursuit, and the conse- 
quent abandonment of the town to the licence of 
the camp followers, every thing of value was so 



202 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



utterly destroyed that there is little left to be sold 
for prize-money. Mr. G- takes out ammu- 
nition to-night to the Fort, and is to bring back 
here another gun from Kaludghee. The Bom- 
bay Artillery and one company of the 56th 
march away this evening on their return to 
Belgaum. 



NUMEROUS ARRESTS. 



203 



CHAPTER VIII. 

INTERMITTENT FEVER — LIZZIE'S ADVENTURE TRIAL 

AND EXECUTION OF THE RAJAH THEATRICALS AND 

BALLS — ■ THE MOHURRUN PICNIC — YISIT TO THE 

DESSAYES OF HIBLEE NATIYE LADIES. 

Saturday, June 12. 

In consequence of what has come to light at 
the trial of the Rajah of Nurgoond, there have 
been numerous arrests here of those who were 
considered among the most trustworthy of the 
natives ; and the Nazir, or head- official of the 
gaol, appears to have been at the bottom of a 
plot for letting loose the prisoners, who, on a 
given day (fortunately for us anticipated by 
three days by the outbreak at Nurgoond), were 
to join in executing an order of Nana Sahib's 
to "secure the fort of Dharwar." Considering 
the existence of this deep-laid scheme, which 
was kept so secret to the last, it is little short 
of a miracle that we escaped without some 
struggle. A Commission is sitting on the prin- 
cipal rebels at Nurgoond, and fourteen were 
shot yesterday. The Rajah himself is con- 
demned to be hung to-day at Belgaum ; the 



204 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



moral influence of which execution will be the 
greater, as the natives clung to a hope that, from 
his high rank and caste, he would be spared, as 
they declared the rope was not made that could 

hang a Brahmin. L , who was quite well 

in the excitement of the field, has been suffering 
ever since he came home with a return of fever. 

Wednesday, June 16. 

Poor L has been so ill all this time, 

that kind Colonel M insists on our return 

to our old quarters in his house for change of 
air. The stories which come out each day of 
the plot to murder the Europeans at this sta- 
tion, and of the tampering with the Sepoy regi- 
ment, make one feel doubly thankful for our 
merciful escape from great danger and trouble. 
I heard an anecdote of Kaffirland to day, which, 
though perfectly irrelevant to our adventures 
here, is so amusing that I must record it, par- 
ticularly as my informant vouched for its truth. 
At an outpost, far up the country, resided an 
officer and his wife. The latter was warned by 
her husband not to venture alone far from the 
house ; but one day, imprudently going beyond 
her usual limits, she encountered a wild-looking 
Kaffir, who took her by the hand, and would be 



STORY OF A KAFFIR. 205 

moved by no entreaties to suffer her to depart. 
He made her sit down, and, untying her bonnet, 
let down her long fair hair, at which he ex- 
pressed rapturous admiration. He next took 
off her gloves, and appeared enchanted with 
her white hands ; and then proceeded to divest 
her of shoes and stockings, and wondered at 
her little white feet. How much further he 
would have carried his investigations, it is im- 
possible to say, had not the poor lady been 
rescued by a party of squaws, who, with jea- 
lousy in their looks and gestures, rushed upon 
the Kaffir, thus giving her the opportunity of 
escaping to her home. The next morning the 
lady and her husband were awakened at an 
early hour by a great chattering under their 
window ; and, on inquiring the cause of the dis- 
turbance, the gentleman was accosted by the 
hero of the previous day, who had been so im- 
pressed by the charms of our fair country- 
woman, that he had come with twelve squaws, 
to make the liberal offer of exchanging them 
for the gentleman's wife, and was not a little 
surprised when his generous terms were re- 
fused ! 

Friday, June 18. 

Last night, as Colonel M was soundly 



206 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



sleeping with his favourite spaniel, ' 'Lizzie," 
on a chair at his side, he was awakened by a 
tremendous scuffle in his room (which had a 
door open to the verandah), chairs overturned, 
furniture disarranged, mingled with the cries of 
Lizzie, and the growls of another and larger 
animal. After struggling for a minute or two, 
they swept off down the verandah past our 
room, waking me with the most dismal yells I 
ever heard, and the galloping footfall of some 
large beast. The poor Colonel was distracted. 
In the dead of night, his room entered, and 
his Lizzie carried off; the darkness so thick, 
that he could see nothing, and could only call 
his poor favourite, whose cries of distress soon 
died away in the far distance ! He lay awake, 
in no enviable state of mind, and with the 
earliest dawn arose to send all the household, 
and search in every direction himself for the 
abducted Lizzie, who was found, trembling and 
panting, with one eye nearly out, and various 
small hurts, on the very centre of the dining- 
table in the mess bungalow. Poor doggie ! 
she growled and trembled on entering the room 
where her peaceful slumbers had been so rudely 
disturbed. It is impossible to say, with cer- 
tainty, who the intruder was ; probably, a jackal 



LIZZIE'S ADVENTURE. 



207 



or hyena — neither of them agreeable visitors 
in one's bedroom. 

Monday, June 21. 

Fresh treasons come to light every day among 
the native officials at this station. The Pundit 
(a sort of schoolmaster) of the Sepoys has been 
apprehended, on suspicion of having circulated 
among them a story that the greased cartridges 
were going to be forced on them ; an idea readily 
believed, and causing much discontent among 
them. At Nurgoond and Belgaum trials and 
hangings continue daily, and some rebels are 
to be sent here for execution as a salutary 
warning. Belgaum is bristling with cannon ; 
the guns intended for the defence of this place 
have been detained there; and though they 
have nearly three European regiments in camp, 
a panic prevails, while we are left with only 
a handful of stout English hearts to defend a 
dilapidated Fort, containing only three guns, 
and those field-pieces. However, I believe the 
wholesome fear of the Sahibs is on the increase, 
and we are safe enough. 

Tuesday, June 22. 

My poor little red-headed Polly, who was so 
tame, and of whom I was very fond, was left 



208 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



alone for five minutes in a room this morning ; 
and when I came back, had disappeared, 
leaving no memento but a feather from his 
tail. A horrid cat must have jumped in at the 
window, and carried him off. I am disconso- 
late, for he was the drollest and most original 
little bird I ever saw. He always walked about 
our breakfast-table, helping himself from every 
dish, and invariably scolded if he did not get 
the first bite at the eggs ; and whenever I came 
near him, he began chattering and scolding, 
and spreading his tail. There never was such 
a nice little Polly ! 

Some of the Nurgoond rebels were sent to be 
executed here, and arrived to-day from Belgaum ; 

and Judge E actually turned them out of the 

gaol, on account of some informality in the word- 
ing of the warrant for their execution, thereby 
risking their escape, as they are only guarded by 
Sepoys. Extraordinary as it may sound, it is 
nevertheless true, that most of the Civil officials 
in this country think the rebels harshly treated, 
disapprove of the Military Commission for try- 
ing them, and are indignant at the arrests of 
their suspected subordinates. Such infatua- 
tion, after the recent plots that have been 
brought to light, is difficult to believe. Some 



PANIC AMONG THE NATIVES. 209 

evil-disposed person circulated a report in the 
bazaars to-day, that the English soldiers were 
going to loot the town of Dharwar, as they did 
Nurgoond, naming an hour for the beginning. 
It excited great terror among the natives, and 
the chief inhabitants instantly set off with their 
families and property to take refuge in the 
neighbouring villages; and, notwithstanding 
every step was taken to stop the panic and 
reassure the poor frightened people, they were 
flying from the town by hundreds in every di- 
rection during the afternoon. Reports of 
this kind are much to be lamented, tending to 
injure the confidence in us of the unoffending 
population : indeed, if they were roused to tho- 
roughly turn against us, the country would be 
untenable, even as a military possession. 

Saturday, June 26. 

We heard some curious anecdotes of the trial 
of the Rajah of Nurgoond from an eye-witness. 
He confessed every thing, and, when describing 
the way he retired with his large force before 
Colonel Malcolm's handful of Sowars, he said, 
he did not know how it was ; his arms were 
ready to fight, his head and his legs were 
ready to fight, but there was a something here 

p 



210 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



(tapping his side) which would not fight, and so 
he was obliged to run away, and he supposed 
his followers suffered from the same complaint. 
The poor wretch had a great horror of being 
hung, as it occasions loss of caste, and repeat- 
edly petitioned to be blown away from a gun, 
which prayer was very properly refused ; but there 
was no occasion for the blundering which kept 
him in front of the gallows for' three-quarters 
of an hour, whilst the drop was being adjusted, 
and finally used a rope so thin that it broke, 
and he had to be hung a second time in horrible 
torture. Certainly poor Mr. Manson was 
avenged ! The Jack Ketches in this country 
are very bad performers : a great fuss was 
made about the erection of the gallows here 
for the poor wretches who were hanged yester- 
day; an Engineer officer and one of the 
collectors combining their talents to produce 
some very perfect piece of mechanism, which, 
however, totally failed at the moment of execu- 
tion, so that strangulation had to be resorted 
to, to end the struggles of one poor victim. 
These sort of scenes naturally make the natives 
believe we care as little for human suffering as 
they do. 



THEATRICAL ENTERTAINMENT. 211 



Monday, June 28. 

A grand parade of all the troops took place 
this afternoon to hear a Proclamation read, to 
the effect that Gwalior is retaken, and our ally 
the Maharajah reinstated on the throne of his 
ancestors. A royal salute was fired, and numbers 
of spectators assembled, though I doubt much 
whether they understood what it was all about. 

The bachelors of Dharwar gave a ball in the 
evening; the attendance consisted of about 
thirty-five people, almost all dancers, and the 
whole affair went off so merrily that repetitions 
are talked of, and private theatricals are on the 
tapis. 

Monday, July 19. 

All this time has been spent in getting up 
and rehearsing a grand theatrical entertain- 
ment. A pretty little stage has been fitted up 

in one end of Colonel M 's bungalow, with 

simple scenery, painted by amateur hands. 
The merry meetings have been frequent, almost 
daily, to settle matters and perfect parts, and 
have caused so much fun and amusement, one 
can hardly believe we were so nearly involved 
in the horrors of war but one short month ago ! 
The first regular performance took place this 
evening, the pieces selected being, " A Romance 
p 2 



212 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



under Difficulties," and " In for a Holiday ;" and 
immediately afterwards the party adjourned to 
the mess-house, and merrily danced the re- 
mainder of the evening. The weather has 
been very wet lately, but we have usually con- 
trived to get our daily rides, and in a large 
cavalcade we galop over the beautiful country 
in every direction. A band plays twice a week 
in the evening, when all the society meet 
together, and on intervening evenings the 
banks of a large tank are a place of general 
resort. In short, we are eminently sociable, 
and, chiefly owing to the good sense and kind- 
ness of heart of one in high position, who is 
universally loved and looked up to, this Station 
is remarkably free from the petty bickerings and 
jealousies so common in India. 

We have bought a magnificent pair of spotted 
bullocks, who go like horses, and the greatest 
delight of our driver is to pass every carriage 
we come near. One of our friends who has 
been an excursion to Belgaum thus describes 
the mode of crossing the Hooblee river, which, 
though only a ditch when we came over it, 
is now swelled by the monsoon to a broad and 
rapid torrent. There is no boat, but passen- 
gers are taken across four or five at a time, 



NOVEL DESCRIPTION OF BOAT. 213 

in a large copper pan used in sugar-boiling, 
which, from the violence of the current, spins 
round and round, causing no real danger, 
(except it struck on a rock) hut much dis- 
comfort to the passengers. Horses and cattle 
are made to swim over. The supineness of 
those in authority is remarkable in. not im- 
proving such a state of things, on the road 
between the two great stations of the South 
Mahratta country. If the late outbreak had 
been delayed till now, no troops could have 
been got here from Belgaum without great 
delay. 

"Wednesday, August 4. 

The Black Plain is charming to ride over, 
when there has been three or four days' fine 
weather, the soil light and soft like sawdust for 
the horses' feet. The crops are just beginning 
to come up, and are beautiful specimens of 
farming ; the seed is dibbled in straight rows, 
and not a weed is to be seen. It is the most 
fertile soil in the world, and never requires 
manure, but there is a regular succession of 
crops. A second set of private theatricals, 
followed by a dance, took place this evening ; 
the pieces were, " Only a Halfpenny," and 
"Box and Cox," which has the charm of 



214 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



novelty in India, though so hackneyed at home. 
There are crowds of beggars and frightfully dis- 
torted objects in this station, who, on the 
principle that charity is a part of religion, 
always choose Sunday on which to parade their 
deformities and demand alms. There is a 
woman who is stiffened in a sitting posture and 
walks on her hands, and various other importu- 
nate mendicants, besides the one I previously 
mentioned who comes in his carriage ; but, in 
horrible distortion, none come up to a creature 
who walks quite nimbly on all fours, like a 
great baboon ! He wears sandals on his hands, 
and his knee-joints are quite stiff, and his 
attenuated hind legs exactly resemble those of 
a bird ! 

Wednesday, August 11. 

A large breakfast-party assembled at the 
mess-room this morning, and immediately com- 
menced decorating the room for a ball given 
by the ladies of the station, which was to 
come off in the evening. Cart-loads of flowers 
and evergreens were contributed from every 
garden, and never before, I believe, was a 
ball-room so beautifully adorned. Twelve 
long garlands of the gayest flowers, woven by 
fair hands, were hung in festoons from lamp to 



THE LADIES' BALL. 



215 



lamp, and from the centre to the corners of the 
room ; round the walls, circles of green sur- 
rounded the side-lights. Merrily we worked, 
and completed the task in time for an early 
dinner, after which we refreshed ourselves with 
a canter, preparatory to the evening's gaieties, 
which were kept up and enjoyed with great 
spirit. It is curious to mark the anxiety caused 
by the arrival of the English Mail in this land 
of banishment ; for instance, two or three 
people were late in coming to the ball this 
evening, and there were whispers and anxious 
fears that they had had bad news. However, 
on this occasion, happily, the fears were 
groundless, and nothing occurred to mar the 
hilarity of the evening. 

Baby has had a present made him of a very 
small tattoo or pony, which, coming from Nur- 
goond, we have named " Rajah." The moment 
he is let loose he canters up to the house, and 
leaping up the steps into the verandah, he sub- 
mits to be led up and down, while his little 
master is held on his back ; and then, going 
into the house, he helps himself to bread off the 
dining-table, and, pushing open the door with his 
nose, generally makes his exit through my 
bedroom, which opens on a level with the garden. 



216 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Wednesday, August 18. 

The Muhammedan Festival of the Mohurran 
is now going on, producing a great deal of 
tomtoming and other discordant sounds ; and 
processions of gaily-dressed women and child- 
ren may frequently be met. The festival is in 
honour of Hussein and Hossein, two brothers, 
who were martyred. To-day there was a 
nautch danced in their honour at an old mosque 
in the fort, by men dressed in green jackets, 
with bangles on their ankles, who, joining hands, 
swayed their bodies backwards and forwards, 
chanting a monotonous tune. Yesterday we 
met a party going about with their bodies 
painted blue, with red spots, and their heads 
crowned with pointed paper caps about three 
feet high. I never saw any thing so diabolical- 
looking, except in the last scene of " Kobert le 
Diable." In this guise, they call themselves 
monkeys. Sometimes the paint is yellow 
and black; and then they fancy they repre- 
sent tigers, and endeavour in their movements 
to imitate the real animals. The Mussulmani 
women and children invariably join in all the 
processions; and the former are unveiled, 
though there are a few of a strict sect of Mu- 
hammedanswho keep their women in retirement. 



FEAST OF THE MOHURRAN. 217 
Friday, August 20. 

Being the last day but one of the Mohurran, 
the fun grew fast and furious ; crowds assem- 
bled in the fort, and performed various fantastic 
pantomimes. Some, dressed in real skins of 
animals, formed a wild dance ; going through 
the actions of a mimic chasse in the most ab- 
surd manner, being caught with nets and ropes 
by men supposed to be the hunters. They 
howled to the music of a kind of abortive kettle- 
drum; a little further on we were attracted 
by a ring of dancers dressed in plaid jackets, 
lined with yellow, and red turbans, each orna- 
mented by a sprig of yellow leaves. They 
were adorned with large silver bangles and 
other ornaments; and, linked arm-in-arm, 
moved round in a circle to the measure of a 
monotonous chant, of which we could only 
distinguish the frequent repetition of the word 
" Mussulmani." 

The courtyard of the mosque was thronged 
with people of both sexes; and in it were 
two large fires, made of tarred wood, brought 
in bundles, as an offering; and streams 
of worshippers kept continually pouring in, 
bearing chatties on their heads, containing 
ghee, rice, or some other donation. In one 



218 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



corner we observed a poor sheep, decked with 
flowers ; when suddenly a man advanced, knife 
in hand, and in a moment he was dead, and 
ready for the burnt -offering. One of our ser- 
vants, who was mingling with the throng, came 
forward and asked if we wished to penetrate 
into the interior of the mosque ; and, on our 
expressing a wish to that effect, the crowd im- 
mediately fell back, and made way for us to 
mount the steps leading in to the holy place. 

The principal Priest and others were squatted 
round a small fire in the centre; into which 
they threw incense, and small portions of the 
offerings. At the back was a tarbut, or repre- 
sentation of the tomb of Hussein and Hossein, 
being merely a gay curtain, with five brazen 
ornaments fastened on it. The Priest came 
forward and salaamed to us, throwing over my 
neck a necklace of jessamine flowers. Then he 
presented each of us with a lime ; and, finally, 
asked for five pies backshish (about Ifd.). The 
noise all this time was more than I know how 
to describe : besides many different and dis- 
cordant instruments, there were the songs of 
the " tigers," and the dancers in plaid, and of 
another set, clad in pink jackets, with very 
tight white pantaloons, and every one in the 



SCENE IN THE MOSQUE. 



219 



crowd was talking and shouting at the full 
stretch of his voice ; so that there was not the 
smallest appearance of reverence or religious 
feeling in any one. The mosque itself is a 
ranshackle old barn, covered with whitewash, 
but esteemed very holy. On descending the 
steps, we observed two persons, a man and 
a woman, lying at full length in the dust close 
to the great altar, where a fire was burning, 
and some people were employed in rolling them 
over and over, like two sacks, till they had 
gone all round the altar. This was a species 
of penance, not for past sins, but as a pro- 
pitiatory act to procure some coveted blessing. 

The whole scene was very picturesque : the 
bright-coloured dresses of both sexes, the child- 
ren covered with silver ornaments, and wearing 
grotesque caps ; some with their faces and 
bodies speckled with red and white paint ; 
while the men were generally ornamented with 
necklaces and bracelets of red and yellow 
worsted. All classes and castes mingled in 
the common holiday : the rich merchant, the 
domestic servant, the common labourer, and 
the Sepoy, — the latter easily distinguished by 
his jaunty air, a silk jacket of brilliant colour 
— say blue, or lilac — white pyjamas (a cloth 



220 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



answering the purpose of trousers) hanging 
in graceful folds ; and a very small puggree 
(or turban), cocked on one side, with an end 
hanging over the shoulder : a few women of 
higher rank, wearing white sarees ; whilst the 
humbler class were clad in red, orange, or blue. 
Every one salaamed at the bottom of the steps 
leading to the mosque. I was surprised at the 
ready admittance they granted to us, and the 
attentions and homage we received were unbe- 
coming, according to our ideas, when offered 
in a temple dedicated to the Creator. There 
was a strong odour of bhang among these 
devout followers of Muhammed, and many of 
the dancers were evidently much excited. 

It is difficult to believe that the Mussulmanis 
are not equally idolaters with their Hindu breth- 
ren; and, in point of fact, their worship is but 
little more pure or spiritual, and they join in the 
revelry of the Hindu holidays, in the same man- 
ner as they permit the Hindus to take part in 
theirs. To-morrow the festival is to be closed 
by dipping the little silk and tinsel pagodas, 
called tarbuts, into the water of the tank ; 
which, of course, will offer a fine opportunity 
for the display of more processions. 



CONVICT LABOUR. 



221 



Monday, August 23. 

I paid a second visit to the gaol, chiefly for 
the purpose of seeing the workshops. They 
weave little besides tent-cloth now, the de- 
mand for it being so great. The looms are 
pretty much like English ones, except that 
they are only raised about four inches from the 
floor; and the weaver is seated in a hole, cut 
in the mud floor, opposite the centre of each 
loom. The cotton is spun and wound on 
the premises. We next examined the paper- 
making process, which is of the simplest and 
rudest description, and the paper produced 
the very coarsest kind of whiteybrown, suffi- 
ciently sized to bear being written upon ; and 
it is used for native writing and official en- 
velopes. There is a silk manufactory, which 
was not at work ; but we saw several basket - 
trays fall of the silk- worms and eggs. The 
mulberry- trees thrive remarkably well here, and 
so do the worms ; and if they were properly 
managed and attended to (which is not the 
case), the silk-works might be a source of con- 
siderable profit to Government. 

Tuesday, August 24. 
A party of nineteen equestrians, and two or 



222 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



three others in gharries, assembled this morning 
at six o'clock on a picnic expedition to a place 
called Thackeray's Farm, from having been 
the scene of some experimental farming by the 
unfortunate Collector Mr. Thackeray, who was 
killed at the siege of Kittoor in 1824. A few 
ruined outhouses alone mark the spot, in the 
midst of wild jungle among the hills, seven 
miles from Dharwar. We found tents pitched 
in readiness ; and proceeded first to dress, and 
then to scramble up a couple of hills, which 
excited our appetites to an alarming extent, 
before breakfast. It was a lovely cool day ; 
and, after we had broken our fast, we, that is, 
two other ladies and myself, and several gentle- 
men, sallied forth to explore the country. We 
had two ponies with us, and alternately walked 
or rode, according to the nature of the ground, 
and rested from time to time in shady places ; 
sometimes perched on the low broad arms of a 
magnificent mango, at others under the shade 
of a rocky peak, the summit of one of the hills. 

The views were lovely, and the most beautiful 
flowers and creeping plants hung from every 
bush ; whilst the grass was green and soft under 
our feet. These hills are covered with what is 
called light jungle ; that is, separate bushes of 



PIC-NIC PARTY. 



223 



acacia, bamboo, and various other kinds of 
plants, never thick enough to prevent an easy 
passage, though often arching overhead, and 
affording the most delightful shade. We were 
too merry a party to see any of the wild pig, 
or other game with which these woods abound ; 
but some of the gentlemen, who took their guns 
in another direction, more intent on sport than 
laughter, got shots at several deer and antelope. 
Our ramble extended till dinner-time, which 
was half-past three ; after which pigeon-shoot- 
ing matches amused the gentlemen ; and as it 
grew dark we sat round and sung songs, watch- 
ing a beautiful eclipse of the moon. When it was 
time to return to the tents to change our dresses 
for our homeward ride, it was discovered that 
lights had been forgotten ; and in pitchy dark- 
ness we ladies had to separate our various gar- 
ments, don our riding-gear, and pack up the 
rest ; luckily, the moonhght was not sufficiently 
bright to betray a few mistakes and deficiencies. 
We reached home by a different road soon after 
nine, and thus ended our first experience of In- 
dian pic-nics ; and certainly none of the fifteen 
hours had hung at all heavy on our hands ; 
though, at first hearing, it appears a long time 
to be pleasure- seeking in the same company. 



224 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Saturday, August 28. 

Yesterday one of the poor men died of dys- 
entery : this is only the second natural death 
that has occurred in the battery since we left 
England, thirteen months ago. There have 
been two accidental deaths from drowning ; but 
it is a wonderfully low rate of mortality, among 
200 men. This afternoon was devoted to games 
among the soldiers. Wheelbarrow races blind- 
fold, and tattoo races, on animals hired in 
the bazaar, caused great amusement ; the 
Highlanders performed many national dances 
and games, such as the Highland Fling, put- 
ting the stone, throwing the hammer, the sword 
dance, throwing the caber, and foot-races and 
leaping concluded the entertainments ; which 
went off so well, that, in ecstasies of delight, 
the soldiers ended by cheering nearly every 
officer by name, besides our excellent Com- 
mandant and the ladies. 

Wednesday, September 1. 

Another theatrical performance came off this 
evening of " Perfection," followed by " Dearest 
Elizabeth;" and the evening was concluded 
with an hilarious supper, given to the per- 
formers and their friends. 



HARE HUNTING. 



225 



Friday, September 3. 

Another ball, the decoration of the room 
affording an excuse for a morning meeting and 
tiffin. Our amusements are sometimes varied 

by a hunting-party with Mr. S 's beagles ; 

though the sport, as carried on in this 
country, is somewhat cruel. The pack consists 
of three very small and pretty hounds ; but so 
fat, they can scarcely run. One day a wretched 
hare was produced from a basket ; and, after 
being anointed all over with assafcetida, (a pro- 
cess it strongly objected to,) it ran a short 
ring, and was killed in a bush. The next hare 
was beyond the power of suffering, having 
died in the basket. A parrot's cage was 
then produced, containing two more; one of 
which shared the fate of the first : but the last, 
though possessed of only three legs, ran straight 
and well, and nearly succeeded in baffling the 
little doggies, who by this time were quite tired 
and out of breath. However, at last they caught 
poor puss; and then, wagging their tails, 
trotted home to breakfast — in which we fol- 
lowed their . example . 

Thursday, September 9. 

Some of the Highlanders, and the two guns 
belonging to the Nurgoond field force, return 

Q 



226 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



here to-morrow; and as we could see their en- 
campment on the Black Plain, we determined on 
riding out to pay them a visit. We started about 
noon, and found them camped outside a town 
called Heblee, about six miles off. After sitting 
for some time in the tents, we sent a message 
to the jagheerdar, or proprietor of the place, 
expressing a wish to see his Forts, of which 
there are two. There are three brothers, Des- 
sayes, [an independent rank, inferior to Rajah,] 
and their loyalty has lately been much sus- 
pected. The town is built entirely of mud ; 
and all the houses have flat roofs. We were 
conducted first to the youngest brother, who 
lives in the biggest Fort ; which was approached 
by zigzag roads through several strong gates, 
each protected by its guard. We were met in 
the inner court by the great man himself, who 
was rather a good specimen of a Brahmin — 
tall and thin, with a gentlemanlike air; but 
he had no roof to his mouth, which rendered 
his speech very imperfect. He was dressed in a 
quilted red satin gown, but old and shabby. 
We were invited to sit in his durbar ; that is 
to say, a long carpet was spread in a verandah, 
and chairs placed in a row down one side ; and 
here we sat and bowed, and endeavoured to say 



INTERIOR OF HAREM. 



227 



a few civil words. I then asked to make my 
salaam to the Bibis, his wives, and was carried 
off into the interior of the palace-fort, where 
the rooms were almost pitch dark, the only 
light being from small grated skylights. There 
was no furniture of any kind — a carpet and 
chairs being brought in for our accommodation. 
The floors were of mud, and the walls white- 
washed, with a red border round the ceilings, 
which were very low. I was presented to four 
Bibis — sallow, ugly women, in crimson or orange 
silk sarees — besides a withered old mother; 
and there were four rather pretty little boys, 
of different ages, running about. Apparently, 
the native ladies of rank spend their whole 
lives in absolutely doing nothing. It must be 
very dull. 

On my return to the gentlemen, we were 
taken to a look-out tower on the Fort wall, 
from which there is a fine view; and, lastly, 
to the stables, which, except a fine old mare 
and foal, contained nothing but a few 
miserable tattoos. On parting with our inar- 
ticulate friend, we were conducted through the 
town to the second Fort, inhabited by the two 
elder brothers, who had evidently been pre- 
paring for our reception. We sat round in a 
Q 2 



228 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



durbar room as before, and packets of betel- 
nut, wrapped in scented leaves, and roses and 
other flowers, were handed about in a gold 
dish; then rose-water and sandal-wood oil 
were poured on our handkerchiefs out of silver 
vessels ; and, lastly, two Nantch girls, seated 
on the floor, and accompanied by the usual 
hurdygurdy kind of instrument, began their 
monotonous chant, which nearly sent me to 
sleep. After a time I was taken to see the prin- 
cipal Bibi, who had no children, but had dressed 
herself out in all her jewels ; and her nose- 
rings and earrings of pearls, mixed with dia- 
monds and emeralds, were really beautiful ; as 
was also a broad gold collar, with little pend- 
ants, which encircled her neck. She sat on a 
chair on one side of a carpet, and I on another 
opposite ; and after a few salaams, not being 
able to enter into conversation, I retired. 

The eldest Dessaye was dressed, doubtless, in 
his holiday garment, which consisted of a jacket 
of English green corduroy, bound with red. 
Both brothers conducted us to the gate of their 
Fort, and we were escorted through the town 
by the ministers and head-men, and followed 
by nearly the whole population back to the 
camp, from whence we cantered into Dharwar 



NATIVE RECEPTION. 



229 



in time for dinner. The revenue of the Heblee 
Jhagheer is about 2000/. English a year. The 
Forts are not very strong, being only built of 
mud, and without ditches, and they are com- 
manded by a hill overlooking the town. The 
native princes are so very proud of being visited 
by any Sahib, that we were told that, avaricious 
as all Mahrattas are, these Dessayes would 
rather have received us in the foregoing manner, 
than have been paid a thousand pounds. 



230 LIFE IN INDIA. 



CHAPTEK IX. 

PUMOUP OP CHANGE — EXPEDITION TO NUEGOOND 

THE COMET ST APT ON AN EXCURSION TO THE 

WESTERN JUNGLES YISIT EPOM THE NAWAB OE 

SAYANOOP — CONTINUED PAIN — DIFFICULTIES — TEMPLE 
AT HANGUL STATION OF SIPCEE — BPEAK DOWN. 

Monday, September 13. 

To-day L picked up a letter, directed to 

me, off the floor in his office, where it had 
nearly got overlooked among a mass of papers. 

It was from Colonel Gr , and contained 

congratulations on L 's appointment to the 

command of the D Troop, Koyal Horse Artillery, 
now quartered at Poona ! We were extremely 
surprised, having had reasons for believing that 
a different appointment had been made. We 
shall be sorry to leave our kind friends in this 
station. Poor Toby has disappeared, greatly 
to my regret. He had been on a visit to Mr. 

B at Nurgoond ; and, on the return of the 

force, was sent in under the care of his servant. 
The poor dog had been ill, and suddenly was 
lost ; whether dead or not we cannot say. 



EXCURSION TO NURGOOND. 



231 



Monday, September 20. 

The report of L 's appointment has been 

confirmed, though not officially ; and it cannot 
appear in orders till the arrival of the next 
mail from England. In the mean time we are 
harassed by sinister reports from Central India, 
and rumours that the D Troop, with some of 
the 17th Lancers and 18th Eoyal Irish, are 
to be sent immediately into the field. Mhow is 
to be the head- quarters of the Eoyal Horse 
Artillery, which is reckoned a nice station ; but 
the difficulty will be, in these disturbed times, 
for me to get there. Our prospects look un- 
pleasant enough ; but it is no use making any 
plans till the official orders come. 

Thursday, September 23. 

We started at half-past four a.m., on an 
excursion to Nurgoond, accompanied by some 
friends, who drove part of the way ; whereas 

L and I rode, sending on two relays of 

horses, and accomplished the whole distance 
(thirty-two miles) in three hours and a half. 
The moon looked rather threatening; but we 
had no rain, and the black soil roads were 
smooth and soft as a riding- school. On ap- 
proaching Nurgoond, I at once recognized every 



232 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



spot, from the excellent drawings that had been 
brought to me. The rock is a splendid mass 
of sandstone, red, with veins of white quartz, 
rising perpendicularly out of the plain. The 
height is 800 feet, the length about one mile, 
and the breadth one-eighth of a mile. The 
town, a mud one, with flat-roofed houses, is 
built on the lower part of a spur, at the ex- 
treme end of the rock, and contains many white 
temples, and the palace, built on terraces, under 

the rock. L took us first to the principal 

points of interest outside the town, the place 
from which he first opened fire, &c. ; and we 
endeavoured, but unsuccessfully, to find the 
well in which poor Mr. Manson's head was 
found. It was concealed among some trees in 
the Kajah's garden. We then went to take up 
our quarters in the palace, which had been 
prepared for our reception. It is at present 
occupied by two companies of the 28th Native 

Infantry, under Mr. A , whose life must 

be rather a solitary one. Breakfast was pre- 
pared in a long room, on the upper story, for- 
merly the durbar. One side was raised as a 
dais ; and had a balcony, looking on the palace 
court, which was at present used to picket our 
horses in, and those of about twenty sowars of 



INTERIOR OF PALACE. 



233 



police, also stationed here. Our bedroom, evi- 
dently the state apartment, opened out of the 
durbar ; and the walls were covered with most 
delicately executed native paintings, on a red 
ground, representing different scenes in the life 
of an Eastern prince — fighting, hunting, and life 
in the Zenana. The art of perspective was, of 
course, totally despised; and all the figures 
were painted with white complexions — an ar- 
tistic licence common in the East. The room 
had windows on two sides, which command fine 
views, and was altogether light and cheerful. 
There were in the walls little cupboards and 
niches innumerable, and pegs all round the 
room. The next room to it, occupied by 

Mrs. G , was similar in shape, but had 

plain whitewashed walls ; and leading from it 
were several dark passages, and mysterious 
little rooms; in one of which Mr. Manson's 
bloody clothes and papers were found. Our 
room had a trap -door in the floor, communi- 
cating by a ladder with the basement story. 
There were no other rooms, except a few dark 
closets in the upper story ; the staircase, as is in- 
variably the case in native houses, was extremely 
narrow, dark, and steep ; and on the ground- 
floor were a number of dark, dirty apartments, 



234 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



opening on a centre court, and evidently only 
intended for attendants. 

After breakfast we went to the great temple, 
situated on a terrace jusi* above the palace. The 
interior, a fine large room, with carved wooden 
galleries, and containing two painted and gilded 
shrines — which, before the sacking of the place, 
were rich in jewels, gold, and beautiful things — 
is now used as a barrack by the Sepoys of the 
28th, who have no sort of scruple in thus de- 
secrating their own holy places. A little broken 
god was lying on the ground outside, and we 
saw the holes made through the walls by the 
shot and shell in many places. There are 
several smaller temples within the court ; and 
at the back is a large square tank, into which 
the chief Brahmin threw himself, to the no 
small vexation of those who had to dispose of 
his body. A little way from the temple we 
saw the place where Mr. Manson's head was 
buried (but it has been lately removed, and 
reburied, with his body, at Kaludghee) ; and 
just beyond, on the steep hill- side, lie the 
graves of five or six poor soldiers who have 
died here, with neat head-stones, carved by a 
sergeant of the Koyal Artillery. We returned 
to rest at the palace during the hottest hours ; 



RUINED FORT. 



235 



and at half-past three we again sallied forth to 
ascend the rock, on foot, but with tattoos fol- 
lowing, on which to ride when practicable. 
The old native path is a very steep and rocky 
one ; and near the top was covered with debris 
of the old walls and gateway, lately destroyed 
by the Engineers. We scrambled over the 
ruins into the interior, and found the greater 
part of the palace blown up. Two or three 
bare rooms only are left ; and the walls, and 
towers, and great tanks, are all laid in ruins. 

The view from the summit of the rock is 
splendid, stretching forty or fifty miles each way 
over the Black Plain, with fine ranges of hills 
bounding the horizon. The plain itself, natu- 
rally wonderfully fertile, is, this year, almost a 
desert, owing partly to the unusual drought, 
but chiefly to the Nurgoond rebellion, which 
drove away all the cultivators at the time they 
should have been putting in their crops. The 
town is partly re-inhabited now, but has a deso- 
late, ruinous appearance, instead of being one of 
the most flourishing and commercial in this 
part of India, and a great depot for cotton. 
Some Sepoys, on the part of Government, were 
fishing for treasure in the mud of one of the 
great tanks ; and, whilst we were there, several 
silver vessels and the keys of the Fort were 



236 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



found 1 . We should have liked to have been 
able to appropriate some of the things, but 
they are all to be sold by auction. After rest- 
ing and refreshing with ginger-beer, which was 
carried after us, we scrambled over divers 
ruined fortifications to the farthest end of the 
rock, and the air at this elevation was most 
exhilarating and delightful. The rock itself is 
curiously waved with ripple marks ; and at the 
sides, bears two very distinct tidal lines, leading 
to the conclusion that it was once an island, 
and the Black Plain the bottom of the sea. I 
am told these marks, of high and low tide, are 
to be seen very distinctly all along the Western 
Ghauts, showing that the divisions of land and 
water must be greatly altered. 

We descended from the rock by a new road, 
made by the Engineers ; and in all my life 
I never travelled over such a path. Our feet 
were bruised and sore long before we reached the 
bottom ; and the road makers have, moreover, 
ingeniously contrived to make that part of the 
rock defensible, which was easily assailable be- 
fore. We were very glad to mount our tattoos, as 
soon as practicable, and returned through gar- 
dens and fields to the palace, about dark. After 

1 A silver tankard and the keys were afterwards pre- 
sented to the authoress. 



SUDDEN DEATH. 



237 



dinner we. sat sometime in the balcony, enjoying 
the light of a glorious moon, and then retired to 
our well-earned rest ; which was, however, by 
no means destined to be undisturbed. First, the 
horses began to fight, and the gliorr aw alias had to 
be called to separate them, and picket them 
further apart. The mosquitos kept up an un- 
ceasing attack the whole night ; and a wretched 
Pie yelped and howled under our windows in a 
manner to prevent all possibility of slumber. I 
think he must have been the household spirit 
of the Eajahs of Nurgoond, lamenting over the 
fallen dynasty ! 

Friday, September 24. 

We rose early from our disturbed couches, 
and after a hasty meal started at five a.m. to 
resume our homeward journey, which we ac- 
complished by half-past eight. 

Sunday, September 26. 

This afternoon I went to the hospital, and 
spoke sometime with a poor man of the 56th, 
who has long been ill with fever. I remarked 
that he was looking better than when I last 
saw him, and he answered he felt very iveak. 
I left the hospital, and in less then ten min- 
utes that man was dead ! Such is life, or 
rather death, in this country. 



238 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Wednesday, September 29. 

The grand representation of " Ticklish 
Times," and the comic operetta of " Villikins 
and his Dinah " came off this evening, after 
many previous rehearsals. The costumes of 
hoth pieces being old fashioned with powdered 
heads caused a great success, and the corps 
dramatique and their friends sat down to a 
brilliant supper afterwards, which was enlivened 
by toasts and songs. 

The wonderful comet is now shedding its 
glorious light nightly, with a tail like a fan 
traversing half the sky. It may perhaps have 
something to do with the paucity of rain this 
year, which bids fair to destroy the crops. 

Tuesday, October 5. 

As I was sitting writing after breakfast, one 
of the servants called me into the verandah 
to look at a small striped snake, which was 
coiled up asleep on a creeping plant, which 
I had been touching but a few moments before ! 
They said it was very venomous, and the orderly 
took a great stick and cut it in two. In the 
evening there was a large dinner given by the 
officers of the 28th Eegiment N. I. to the 
ladies and gentlemen of the Station, in honour 



DISPERSION OF FRIENDS, 



239 



of Colonel M who is about to retire. We 

sat down, fifty-five persons, who with sixty 
black attendants nearly filled the mess-room. 
Toasts followed and the evening was closed by 
dancing, kept up till the musicians were tired. 

Friday, October 8. 

The finale to the Dharwar gaieties came off 
this evening, in the shape of a brilliant ball, 
which people tried to prolong indefinitely, 
knowing it was the last merry meeting of those 
who have laughed, and danced, and acted to- 
gether daily, during this monsoon. A general 
dispersion is now about to take place, the 
Civilians go out to their camp life in the jungles, 
the Highlanders return to Madras, the 28th 
N. I. are to be relieved, and for ourselves, 
though no orders have arrived, we know our days 
here to be numbered, and, previously to our 
final departure, we hope to accomplish a few 
days' excursion into the western jungles, to see 
the Falls of Gairsapa, one of the finest cataracts 
in the world, and lying in scenery of surpassing 
beauty. 

Tuesday, October 12. 

It is unfortunate that, after having had no 
rain to speak of during the whole monsoon, 



240 



LIFE IX INDIA. 



this day, which we had fixed on to begin our 
excursion, should set in with the most uncom- 
promising downpour ! We had previously sent 
on relays of horses and our gharry, with ser- 
vants, beds, and provisions, and all the neces- 
sary accompaniments to travel in this country, 
intending to push on a double march of thirty 
miles the first day ; but, as our middle stage- 
was to be performed on wheels, we could not 
resign ourselves to getting thoroughly soaked 
first, and therefore there was no help for it but 
to trust for a change in the hopeless-looking 

weather. To add to my vexation, L ; s orders 

to give over the battery to Captain F im- 
mediately on that officer's arrival from Kalud- 
ghee, and to proceed to join his troop, have 
arrived, and he does not like to be long absent 
from the Station ; so that I fear he will, weather 
permitting, only take me out to join our friends 
the G- — — s, and leaving me under their care 
to see the wonders of Gairsapa, himself return to 
his post at Dharwar, there to await his suc- 
cessor. 

Wednesday, October 13. 
After a damp night the morning proved fine, 
with a cool mist, and we started at half-past 
six, and rode twelve miles through a pretty 



RAINY WEATHER. 



241 



cultivated country, with grassy hills and fine 
trees to Hooblee, the largest town, except Poona, 
in the Southern Mahratta country, and a great 
cotton emporium. We rode to a small bunga- 
low belonging to the Collector, where we found 
our gharry, and proceeded in it the next 
stage of ten miles to Kurroor. The road, sup- 
posed to be a good one, was now very heavy 
after the rain, and the poor bullocks could 
scarcely go out of a walk through the deep 
sticky clay, so that we were not sorry to ex- 
change this slow mode of progression for the 
backs of our good steeds, who were awaiting us 
at Kurroor, and whom we cantered on six 
miles to Turrus, where, in the travellers' bun- 
galow, we found our friends, and a good break- 
fast awaiting us. 

After some discussion of ways and means, it 

is settled that I am to go on with the G s, 

who promise to send me back by Sunday week ; 
and as all our servants, equipment, and cattle 
will be required to be ready for an immediate 
departure from Dharwar, I am to take nothing 
with me but my clothes, and be dependent 
on my Mends for every arrangement. In 
the afternoon we walked down to the banks of 
a nullah, crossing our direct road onwards, to 

R 



242 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



see if there was any chance of its being ford- 
able, but it is some ten or twelve feet deep in 
water, so that proceeding by that road is im- 
possible. Several natives were swimming and 
diving like water dogs, for our amusement. 
The accommodation at these travellers' bunga- 
lows is generally very limited for a large party. 
On the present occasion Mrs. G. and I had a 
comfortable bedroom, but the four gentlemen of 
our party and an officer returning from a shoot- 
ing excursion had all to make shake downs in 
the sitting-room ; and peals of laughter and 
comic songs, kept up with untiring vigour far 
into the night, proved that if sleep was ban- 
ished mirth reigned triumphant. 

Thursday, October 14. 

L returned to his duties at Dharwar, 

leaving me to prosecute my journey with the 
G- s. I started in their gharry, built ex- 
pressly for district work. It is like a dog-cart, 
sunk low between two very high wheels, and 
drawn with curricle harness by two handsome 
horses, and its peculiar excellence is the almost 
impossibility of upsetting it, a perfection which 
is often put to the trial in these wild paths, 
where no four-wheeled carriage could hold 



VISIT FROM THE NAWAB. 243 



together for a day. In order to avoid the 
swollen nullah, we had a long detour to make, 
and our road lay over hills, through pretty light 
jungle, and with bogs and ditches to cross, that 
would rather astonish people in England, the 
water being in places up to the horses' stomachs. 
At the end of six miles we found our riding horses 
waiting, and had a canter for as many more 
miles over nice grass ; and then another relay 
of a dog-cart, and some fresh horses brought 
us to our destination, the Collector's bunga- 
low, in the old dilapidated fort of Bunkapoor. 

Soon after our arrival, we observed the ap- 
proach of a smart native, in a scarlet robe, 
carrying a huge silver stick, who came to say, 
with many salaams, that his Highness, the Na- 
wab of Savanoor, had arrived to pay his re- 
spects to us. He is the native prince of the 
greatest wealth and consideration now left in 
this part of India, and has always been our 
staunch friend, though one or two of his sons 
have been more than suspected of correspond- 
ence with the Nana. As soon as we had break- 
fasted we sent to say we awaited his Highness ; 
but here a little difficulty presented itself, 
in the fact of our only possessing four 
chairs among the party, whereas etiquette 
r 2 



244 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



would demand that we should not only be 
seated ourselves, but have some seats to present 
to the Nawab, and at least one or two of his 
sons or attendants. We endeavoured to remedy 
matters by dragging forward boxes, on which the 
gentlemen of our party found seats, and Mrs. 

G and I sitting in the verandah, we made as 

much show as we could of our two spare chairs. 

The Nawab and his suite had put up in some 
cotton factories at a little distance, and pre- 
sently we saw the procession advancing towards 
the bungalow. First came two " Silver-sticks 
in waiting," chanting the praises of the great 
man in a loud nasal tone ; then, surrounded 
by attendants, came his Highness and four 
sons on foot ; and his favourite charger, a fine, 
powerful chestnut, brought up the rear, with a 
head collar and crupper covered with gold, but 
a common rope martingale. The old man 
himself is a very favourable specimen of the 
native prmce. His eyes had broad black lines 
painted under them, but he was very fine- 
looking, and had most gracious, gentlemanlike 
manners. His dress, too, was perfect in taste, 
and consisted of a loose coat and trousers of 
crimson and gold brocade, and a loose green 
silk robe over all. He had a small white 



COSTUME OF NATIVE PRINCES. 245 

turban, the edge of which was ornamented with 
a chain of enormous diamonds and emeralds, but 
being cut flat they lacked lustre. He had a 
splendid necklace of pearls and emeralds, and 
some very fine rings, and wore the pointed em- 
broidered native slippers. The eldest son has a 
villainous countenance; a younger one, who 
more resembles his father, and is noted as an ex- 
cellent horseman, a third belonging to the hob- 
bledehoy period, and a pretty little black-eyed 
pickle, evidently the pet of the Zenana, formed 
the rest of the party, and they were all badly 
dressed, with perhaps a handsome shawl or 
turban, but with coats or trousers of Man- 
chester print, and such leather shoes, purporting 
to be English ! This Anglo-mania in dress 
obtains very much in young India, and the 
result is more offensive to good taste than can 
be conceived. 

We all sat and talked, or at least the 

Nawab and Mr. Gr did, and the former 

kindly promised to send an elephant to bring 
me back part of the way to Dharwar. Pre- 
sents of fruit and sweetmeats were brought 
to us, and finally the Nawab hung round each 
of our necks a wreath of yellow flowers like 
camomile. This species of ornament, how- 
ever poetical as applied to the fair sex, is not, 



246 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



strictly speaking, becoming to a set of hairy 
Englishmen in shooting coats, or the neglige 
garments used in the jungle. When the great 
man had taken his departure we walked to see 
the remains of an old Jaen temple in a distant 
part of the Fort, the pillars and roof of which 
are ornamented with very beautiful carving in 
polished black marble, and part of an open screen 
that remains is most elegant in design and 
delicate in execution. A great deal of rain fell 
both last night and during the day, so that the 
carts with our things did not arrive till quite late, 
and they will have to be still further lightened 
of all but absolute necessaries to enable us to 
perform the forced marches by which alone we 
can get to Gairsapa and back, in the limited 
time we propose. In the evening we walked to 
see a large tank, which has just been constructed 

by Mr. G 's orders for the use of the village. 

We are now in the centre of his districts, and 
are received right royally wherever we go. The 
head people of the villages come out to meet us, 
with horrible music, consisting of enormous brass 
horns, much to the discomfiture of the horses. 
Our dinner this evening was improved by two 
dishes sent by the Xawab, which were both 
composed of small bits of meat and rice, very 
hot, and very good. 



CROSSING A TORRENT. 



247 



Friday, October 15. 

Owing to the torrents of rain which fell all 
night, our carts did not start till just before us, 
at dawn, and the people of the place endeavoured 
to persuade us of the impossibility of continuing 
our journey, alleging that two miles from 
Bunkapoor the road was utterly washed away. 
I started in the dog-cart, and we soon came to 
the broken bridge, which certainly did not look 
passable, though a very pretty spot, the roar- 
ing, foaming torrent rushing between banks 
fringed with palms. All our carts were stuck 
fast, the foremost embedded above the axles in 
a deep mud hole, while just beyond, the bridge 
having disappeared, the only mode of proceeding 
was to descend a bank into some rice fields, 
and, wading through deep water, thus cross the 
stream. When English energy was applied to 
the carts, and the united force of oxen and 
buffaloes harnessed to each one separately, they 
were got through at last, as also the gharry and 
dog- cart ; the only tall horse belonging to the 
party carried over the two ladies separately and 
dry, and we proceeded to finish our stage as far 
as a village called Maharajpate, where, owing to 
the above delays causing all our kit to be behind 
us, we began to suffer the pangs of hunger, it 



248 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



being now noon, and we had tasted nothing but 
a cup of tea at daybreak. 

We bivouacked under some splendid trees, 
and the gentlemen invaded the village to see if 
plantains, or milk, or any thing eatable by 
Europeans could be procured ; but finding no- 
thing, we had to smoke the pipe of patience, 
till the arrival of a Coolie, sent on to us with 
the remains of yesterday's dinner in a basket 
on his head. Never was banquet done more 
justice to, though knives and forks were scarce, 
but cold chicken and bread disappeared in a 
curiously short time, and were washed down 
with soda-water and sherry. Thus refreshed, 
we proceeded on our route, and this time I 
occupied a seat in the curricle. 

Our drive of eight miles to Hangul was 
through a pretty country, varied by hill and dale, 
with a great many fine trees ; palms increased 
in number as we got nearer the coast, and now 
fringed the banks of every stream. We had one 
bad nullah to cross, the banks of which were 
almost perpendicular. We piled every thing on 
the seats, and kneeling on the top, made a native 
wade in front of the horses, to show the right 
road ; down we went, with a run and a splash ; a 
great wave washed right through the carriage, 



JAEN TEMPLE. 



249 



while the gallant little horses, almost swimming, 
struggled to gain footing on the nearly perpen- 
dicular bank on the opposite side, and at length 
scrambled out, dragging an impromptu cascade 
behind them. With the exception of this 
nullah and the broken bridge, the road was 
generally very good, but had here and there a 
few very heavy places. At Hangul we put up 
in a little one-roomed bungalow belonging to 
the Collector, situated in a pretty compound full 
of mango trees and tall green grass, in which 
our wearied cart bullocks luxuriated with de- 
light, and close to an enormous tank or lake, 
with palm groves and gardens adorning its 
banks, on which also stands a pretty little 
ruined temple, once finely carved. 

We walked through the town to see a magnifi- 
cent specimen of a large Jaen temple, certainly 
the finest in this part of the country ; the black 
marble pillars and the carvings on the cornices 
and ceilings are very perfect.' It is large, and 
divided by these pillars into kind of aisles, so 
that one quite longed to see it converted to the 
purposes of Christian worship : and a spendid 
church it would make. Monkeys abound here, 
chattering and jumping about the roofs of the 
houses. The natives consider them sacred, but 



250 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



sometimes their depredations become unbear- 
able, and then the Sahibs are entreated to have 
a monkey hunt and drive them away. Just 
before our arrival a horrid event occurred in 
Hangul, of a kind which is very common among 
the "gentle Hindus." A poor child, covered 
with rich ornaments, had been decoyed away, 
and one arm stripped of its spoil, but the ruffian, 
not being able to get the bracelets easily off the 
other, had taken a stone, and hacked at the 
tender limb till it dropped off! The poor 
victim was yet alive, though scarcely expected 
to live. We hear that our further progress along 
our intended road is now entirely impossible, 
owing to the wet, so we shall have to turn aside 
and go by Sircee, which is rather longer, but 
a very pretty road. We here still further 
lightened our baggage, so as only to take one 
cart on, every thing else was to be carried on 
tattoos or Coolies' heads. 

Saturday, October 16. 

We got up early to see to the disposition and 
starting of our diminished kit, and regaled our- 
selves off some venison chops from a deer sent us 
by the Nawab of Savanoor. We started about 
nine, and drove, chiefly through light jungle, to 
Parla, a village situated on the regular coast 



BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. 



251 



road from Dharwar, but which has been shut up 
some time for repairs. We found light fences 
placed at intervals across it, which had to be 
pulled away to make a passage for us, and this 
proceeding rather astonished the native police, 
who were set to guard the road, but they were 
so entirely under the impression that a Sahib 
could do no wrong that they suffered us to pass 
with very slight opposition, and we had the 
advantage of being the first travellers on a road 
hard and smooth as a gravel walk. 

We had to wait some time under a banyan tree 
for our change of animals, and then proceeded 
through the wildest and thickest jungle I have 
yet seen, beautifully diversified by clearings and 
green glades full of rice, where troops of monkeys 
were chattering, and eating, and frolicking, with 
but very little fear of our presence. Sometimes 
the trees were of very large size, at others the 
jungle was chiefly composed of bamboo, which, 
meeting in graceful arches overhead, was 
covered and interlaced with creeping plants. I 
was a little disappointed at seeing but few 
flowers, but it is not the most abundant time of 
year for them. We stopped for a little time at 
Yekumbee, where there is a travellers' bunga- 
low, standing back from the road in a sunny 



252 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



clearing; but we preferred eating our luncheon 
in a sheltered nook of the jungle, where we 
talked about the tigers and bears lately killed 
near here, till we almost fancied we heard 
a stealthy footstep rustling among the bushes. 
The jungle villages are all so thickly enclosed 
by bamboo fences to keep away the wild beasts, 
that for miles and miles you see no sign of 
human habitation, and the quiet stillness of the 
wilderness is unbroken. We mounted some 
fresh horses after our frugal meal, and, just 
escaping more than a sprinkling of a few drops 
of rain, from a storm that had long been grumb- 
ling round us, we rode on twelve miles to the 
station of Sircee, which we reached just at dusk. 

The Station is built on a hill, command- 
ing fine views over the jungle. There is a small 
detachment of H.M.'s 66th Regiment here now, 
and no other Europeans, except the Collector 
and his wife. The travellers' bungalow was 
partly occupied by one of the officers, to whose 
hospitality we were greatly indebted, as, having 
outrun all our kit and servants, there was 
small chance of dinner or beds for us that night. 
The first thing to be done was to feed, clean, 
and tie up our tired horses, and then, by the 
kindness of Mr. H , we sat down to a 



WELCOME HOSPITALITY. 253 

comfortable dinner, whilst contributions of 
mattrasses, &c, were made for our benefit. 

We were joined this evening by Captain A , 

who daked down in a palkee from Dharwar, to 
join our party to the Falls. During our journey 
through the jungle we passed several camps of 
the Lemanis, a wandering tribe, who drive their 
pack-bullocks all over the country, and in many 
ways resemble the gipsies. Their women are 
very gaily dressed in striped sarees, and their 
arms literally covered with broad rings of horn 
or ivory. 

Sunday, October 17. 

This day was devoted to rest, much needed 
by the servants and cattle, who had all straggled 
up during the night. There is no church at 
this small station, so after breakfast we took a 
long ramble into the jungle, and in the evening 
walked to the native town, which is extremely 
pretty, and thoroughly Indian, situated on the 
banks of a large tank, with palms and plan- 
tains growing between the houses, whose low 
roofs are thatched with coarse flags, and gene- 
rally covered with gourds and creepers. We have 
now crossed the frontier into Madras, and it is 
almost immediately noticeable that every Ma- 
drassee native carries a palm-leaf umbrella. 



254 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



To-day is the feast called the Dussera, when 
the animals are honoured by being hung with 
garlands of flowers. Our horses were each 
brought up by his ghorrawalla adorned with 
necklaces and bracelets of marigolds, whilst 
one, who was a great favourite, had a nosegay 
tied to his tail. The bullocks were similarly 
decorated, and the attendants on this day ex- 
pect backshish. On our return from the village 
we met a procession, consisting of a gaily- 
dressed child, seated on a goat, followed by an 
old man on a tattoo, over whose head a smart 
umbrella was carried, though the sun had long 
set ; crowds of women and children hung with 
flowers, and men bearing torches completed the 
procession. 

Monday, October 18. 

We sent off our things early, but did not 
start till after breakfast, when, turning off the 
high road at about a mile from Sircee, we pro- 
ceeded along a lovely woodland drive six miles 
to Taiglee. Beyond the trifles, of a deep ditch 
to cross in one place, and one very rough and 
broken hill, we found the road very good, 
chiefly following the windings of a roaring 
torrent, and sometimes crossing bright sunny 
glades, and park-like scenes of surpassing 



A BROKEN BRIDGE. 



255 



beauty. There is great variety of hill and dale 
in these jungles, and the occasional glimpses of 
distant hills, various in shape and colour, added 
to the charm of the scenery, whilst the thick 
mass of foliage overhead prevented our suffering 
from the heat of the sun. Taiglee is a most 
picturesque little village, springing up in the 
heart of the woods, with large gardens of betel- 
nut palm growing all round it. Here we found 
our relay of horses, and the hitherto good road 
came to an end. The first obstacle that pre- 
sented itself was a broken bridge, which neces- 
sitated our following a path through the torrent. 
The red soil had here been replaced by soft 
white sand, easily worn by the action of the 
water; and in the centre of the stream the 
horses suddenly sunk over their backs in a deep 
hole, but, bounding and struggling, managed at 
last to draw us out, and up the very steep bank 
of sand on the other side. We crossed the river 
twice again, each passage being more or less 
dangerous, but our adventures were by no means 
concluded, though I scarcely mention driving 
over stumps in the road several feet high, which 
would have upset any ordinary carriage : indeed 
I could hardly believe ours was not broken in 
several pieces by the shock of going over them. 



256 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



At last we came to a broken bridge, with a path 
down to the water by the side, so narrow, that 
it appeared to me it would not allow of the 
passage of the curricle. It was moreover an 
exceedingly steep bank, so I got out to lighten 
the carriage, and stood on the ruined bridge to 
watch the proceedings. As I expected, the car- 
riage caught in a projecting stump, and remained 
fixed on the bank. The horses behaved ad- 
mirably, but all their efforts to move it were in- 
effectual, and after a few minutes of this strained 
position, the pins of the splinter-bar broke with 
a crack. By the united efforts of the whole 
party, the horses were at length taken off, and 
the carriage dragged through the river and up 
the opposite bank; and then the head and heel- 
ropes belonging to the horses were put into 
requisition to tie up the vehicle, so as to render 
it fit for progression. The trace-hooks and pole- 
pins had already broken some days ago, and were 
fastened with string, which required frequent 
repair after violent jolting through nullahs, 
and altogether there was nearly as much hemp as 
iron about the carriage. 

At last we proceeded, and after some more 
very rough and broken ground, we found horses 
and luncheon waiting for us under a magni- 



LARGE SNAKE. 



257 



ficent tree, from whence we rode along six miles 
of improved road to the travellers' bungalow at 
Siddapoor, which is very prettily situated on 
the summit of a kind of down, commanding 
fine views of the jungle, and of a pointed hill 
crowned by a Fort. There is much grass about 
here, caused by a plan greatly in favour with 
the natives, of each year clearing and burning 
a fresh spot, and after taking one crop of corn, 
abandoning it, to do the same by a fresh place, 
thus saving the trouble of manuring. This 
mode of proceeding, which was gradually de- 
stroying the jungle, has been put a stop to by 
Government, and the dissatisfaction caused by 
this order is said to have been at the bottom of 
the Sawunt insurrection in these jungles, last 
year. 

The people about here wear numbers of 
very handsome ornaments : we passed a woman 
with two or three large saucers of gold on her 
head. A large snake crossed in front of my 
horse to-day on the open maidan, but though 
he was instantly pursued by one of the gentle- 
men with a stick, he contrived to wriggle 
himself out of sight, with no farther damage 
than a few raps over the tail. The bun- 
galow at Siddapoor consists only of two mud 

s 



258 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



huts ; the native village is large, and is remark- 
able for an avenue of magnificent trees leading 
to it ; there is also a large tank beyond, ap- 
proached by the most picturesque paths through 
the jungle. 

A singular instance of the power of caste 
came under our notice to-day. Whilst the 
repairs of the broken carriage were going on, 
two natives passed by, one, a Brahmin, carry- 
ing a water chatty, the other a man of low 
caste. One of our party, thirsty from the heat, 
asked for the loan of the chatty to drink from ; 
this was freely given, but the Brahmin could 
not receive it back in its polluted state, so it 
was handed to the low caste man, who, taking- 
it to the river, scrubbed it with sand, and then 
returned it to the owner, in no degree the worse 
for having given refreshment to a party of 
Christians. 



LOVELY SCENERY, 



259 



CHAPTEK X. 

FALLS OF GAIESAPA — CEOSS THE BIYEE — EETUEN 
JOUEOT3Y ES" PALKEES — THE NAWAB's ELEPHANT — 
EETTJEN" TO DHAEWAE — STAET AGAIN — ATTACK OF 
DYSENTEEY — BEST AT BEL GAUM — NEPANEE ■ — THE 

eajah's PALACE. 

Tuesday, October 19. 

A thick mist on the hills delayed our departure 
till nine o'clock. The distance to Gairsapa 
was eighteen miles, which we divided into two 
stages, of which I drove the first, and rode the 
second, through the most lovely country it has 
ever been my lot to traverse. First, we crossed 
open glades of cultivated ground, irrigated by 
many a clear stream, and with the very un- 
common feature in this country, of detached 
cottages scattered in sheltered nooks ; then we 
entered thickly wooded hills, and wound through 
green passes, the scenery of which strongly 
reminded me of the north of Devon. Magnifi- 
cent trees overshadowed our path, whilst a mass 
of the most delicate ferns and creeping plants 
were together entangled underneath. We were 
once enticed out of our path by the noise of fall- 
s 2 



260 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



ing water, and came upon a scene of fairy beauty. 
A tiny silver thread of water fell over some 
rocks on a bunch of ferns of the brightest green, 
to which a bright ray of sunshine had found 
its way through the depths of the forest. As we 
approached Gairsapa we could hear the roar 
of the great Falls, and observed a mist hanging 
thickly over a portion of the hill, but nothing 
could be seen till we arrived on the platform, 
on which the Collector's bungalow is built, and 
which immediately overlooks the top of the 
Falls. There are eight large Falls and many 
smaller ones, which fall over a ledge of rock 
extending quite across the narrow valley, to the 
depth of 900 feet, being, with two exceptions, 
the highest in the world. The quantity of 
water may be imagined, from the fact of the 
pool below the Falls being supposed to be 134 
feet deep, and at the time of our visit the river 
was very full of water from the recent rains. It 
rises about twenty miles from the Falls, and 
after performing its wondrous leap, pursues a 
wandering course through the passes of the 
Western Ghauts, and falls into the sea near 
Honor. The great difficulty is to get a good 
view of the Falls from this side, as the rocks 
are perfectly perpendicular, so that a descent to 



FALLS OF GAIRSAPA. 



261 



the bottom is impossible. A steep path leads 
to the bed of the river above, from whence you 
can cross a ridge of rocks to a large mass of 
granite, called the Kajah's Rock, from a tradition 
that a neighbouring prince once began to build 
a temple on it. Here, by lying down, you can 
look down the great Fall, and watch the number- 
less pigeons careering about in the mist below ; 
but the depth is so great, it is very rarely that 
a glimpse can be caught of the bottom. There 
is another point of view, from which you can 
best see the two furthermost Falls, called La 
Dame Blanche, and the Rocket Fall, and the 
eye never wearies watching those graceful, ever- 
varying, never-ceasing wreaths of foam, rolling 
in masses one over the other, one of Nature's 
grandest, loveliest works. The jungles at this 
season are infested by innumerable small black 
leeches, which, whilst you are giving yourself 
up to the romantic enjoyment of the beauties of 
nature, rear up their heads from their mother 
earth, and rush at you open-mouthed, so that, 
in spite of every precaution, the lovers of the 
picturesque are generally streaming with blood 
from every limb, and the poor horses and dogs 
are equal sufferers from these ferocious little 
bloodsuckers. A very hard shower drenched us 



262 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



during the day, but it cleared so as to enable 
us to spend the evening on the Eajah's Bock, 
where one could sit watching for ever the 
rushing water, and clouds of spray, sometimes 
reflecting every hue of the rainbow, at others 
sparkling like diamonds in the sunlight. The 
best view of the Falls is obtained from the 
other side, where you can descend nearly to the 
bed of the river. It is usual to cross in a boat 
a mile above the Falls, but the late flood has 
carried away and destroyed all the boats, the 
wreck of one remaining now near the Bajah's 
Kock; however, we have despatched messen- 
gers to bring another boat from a distance, 
which we hope will arrive during our stay at 
Gairsapa. 

Wednesday, October 20. 

This morning was devoted to an expedition 
to the top of one of the high hills in the neigh- 
bourhood, renowned for its view. We rode 
tattoos to the foot, and then scrambled up a 
steep path, through long grass, as high as our 
waists, till we attained a rock on the summit, 
from whence the panorama was lovely. In front 
was the river, winding like a silver thread 
towards the ranges of blue Ghauts, whose line 
was in one place broken by the bright waters of 



ARRIVAL OF A BOAT. 



263 



an estuary, gradually widening into a long ex- 
panse of sea, with white waves breaking on the 
shore. Behind us was an endless rolling jungle, 
bounded by far distant Ghauts, and in the fore- 
ground the smiling valleys and bright green 
wooded hills of this enchanting district. The 
afternoon proved too wet for any lengthened 
excursion, but we never wearied of our seat 
upon the rocks, watching the foam and spray. 
The old broken boat and many large pieces of 
timber were set afloat, that we might watch 
their descent over the Falls, but after a very 
short time we lost sight of them in their wild 
leap ; nothing of bodily shape ever appears to 
reach the bottom. A boat was brought from a 
distance on the heads of eighteen Coolies, so that 
we may hope to cross the river to-morrow, if it 
is not too much swollen by the rains ; as it is, 
the water has risen so much since yesterday, 
that the Eajah's Eoot is now in the centre of 
the roaring torrent. 

Mr. H arrived to-day to join our party 

from Sircee, his travelling conveyance being 
a monshiel, much in vogue in Madras, and 
comfortable no doubt, but shutting out all 
view of the scenery. It consists of a ham- 
mock, in which you recline, and is covered 



264 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



by a kind of portable house, the roof and the 
sides of which are formed of palm leaves ; the 
whole is suspended on a long pole, and carried 
by six men on cross-pieces of bamboo, which 
they support on their heads. 

Thursday, October 21. 

The river rose rapidly during the night, 
covering the rock on which we had been seated, 
and the flowing robes of the white lady were of 
a rich cream colour. The former immense 
volume of water appeared doubled in quantity, 
and I counted thirty-two distinct channels over 
the rock, the ordinary number being eight or 
nine. We started early on tattoos, and rode 
through a lovely jungle path up the river for 
more than a mile, until we arrived at some 
comparatively smooth water, just below some 
rapids, where the boat was waiting to take us 
across. And such a craft it was, on which to 
cross the roaring torrent ! It was about twenty 
feet long, and hollowed out of a single tree, 
flat-bottomed, and just wide enough to admit of 
a person sitting on the bottom ! It was pro- 
pelled by two natives with paddles shaped like 
a fish-slice, who skilfully took advantage of the 
rapid stream, and ferried over the whole party 



RAINY WEATHER. 



265 



in safety by three at a time. The width of the 
river is about that of the Thames at Eichmond. 
The jungles on the western side are famous for 
wild bison, who afford great amusement to the 
sportsman; but though thick with trees they 
have not nearly so many beautiful flowers and 
shrubs as those on the eastern side of the river. 

We followed a woodland path for a couple 
of miles, till we found ourselves close to the top 
of the Falls, and precisely opposite to the bun- 
galow at which we resided. There is a little 
platform erected here, at the best point of view, 
and here we spread our breakfast, employing 
each spare moment in pulling off the leeches, 
who seemed to be as hungry as ourselves. We 
had scarcely finished our al fresco meal when a 
heavy cloud, that had threatened us for some 
time, burst in a torrent over our devoted heads, 
and spite of umbrellas, cloaks, and every 
possible precaution, we soon found ourselves 
sitting in several inches of water. However, 
the hilarity of the party was by no means 
depressed, and we almost fancied we were at a 
picnic in dear old England, at which not to 
rain is the exception. As soon as the rain 
ceased, we descended a long, steep, slippery 
path of steps among the rocks, till we arrived at 



266 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



a large boulder, about two-thirds of the distance 
from the bottom, and here, after killing a 
venomous snake, whose domain we had in- 
vaded, we perched ourselves to enjoy the 
sublimity of the scene. It is impossible fully 
to realize the immense height of the Falls 
unless you descend to this point ; the remainder 
of the distance to the bottom, which is often 
easily accomplished, but ill repays the fatigue 
and difficulties, as it is always enveloped in a 
cloud of mist, which shuts out the view. The 
shape of the Fall is a sort of double horse-shoe, 
and on reaching the bottom of this cavernous 
valley, the river winds on through a narrow 
channel of perpendicular rocks for some dis- 
tance, but excepting at this point, it is utterly 
impossible to approach the bottom of the Falls. 
The whole width of the river is about a quarter 
of a mile, and the rocks are covered in every 
crevice with the most delicate and beautiful 
ferns, the gems of our stove-houses at home. 
I can never forget the grandeur of that roaring 
mass of water and foam, descending imme- 
diately in front of us, apparently from the sky 
above our heads, to an immeasurable abyss 
beneath our feet. 

We returned through the woods by the 



LEAVE THE FALLS. 



267 



same path along which we came, without 
visiting, as we had intended, a small "bungalow 
on this side of the water, commanding a view 
of the Falls ; and recrossing the river without 
further adventure, reached home in time to es- 
cape another storm. We all regretted that our 
last evening at Gairsapa had arrived, and we 
spent it, as usual, on the rocks, till damp and 
darkness drove us to the shelter of our bunga- 
low. 

Sunday, October 24. 

We left beautiful Gairsapa with many regrets 
early on Friday morning, and retraced our steps 
to Sircee, only stopping on the way to break- 
fast at Siddapoor, and to allow the gentlemen 
to pursue a large bison, which they did un- 
successfully. We got over the worst part of the 
road on horseback, thus avoiding accidents and 
delays. At Sircee we dined, and at ten p.m. 
started in palkees on our return journey, which 
was to be straight along the high road to 
Dharwar. We found it very slow travelling, as 
here you can only get relays of common Coolies, 
who carry the palkees by cross bars on their 
heads, and they have to be roused and collected 
at each stage, so that dawn was breaking as we 
left Parla, and we were five tedious hours getting 
through the next stage of thirteen miles ; and 



268 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



though the scenery of the jungle must always 
be lovely, the tedium and confinement of a 
palhee does not allow you to enjoy it. 

On arriving at Mundergode, we found that 
the order for posting Coolies for us had never 
reached this place, so, as it is a work of time to 
procure them from the surrounding country, we 
were obliged to content ourselves with resting 
during the day, hoping to be able to go on at 
night. There was a small bungalow in which 
we took up our quarters, and fortunately we had 
brought a chicken and some bread and beer 
with us from Sircee, which, with some milk, 
eggs, and plantains, brought from the village, 
produced a sumptuous repast; and when the 
day grew cool, we strolled in the neighbouring 
jungle, which however had here lost much of 
its beauty. Keturning from our walk, the sun 
set, and we remembered that we had no means 
of procuring a light, but after much persuasion 
the peon in charge of the bungalow was induced 
to bring us a native one, which being a small 
wick in an earthen saucer of oil, gave the small- 
est possible amount of light. I was very tired 
by this time, and almost in despair of our being 
able to proceed, so I lay down in the palkee, 
and eventually, at about nine o'clock, some 
wretched bearers arrived, who were five hours 



TRAVELLING ON AN ELEPHANT. 



accomplishing the twelve miles to Turrus. 
Here we found the Nawab of Savanoor's ele- 
phant waiting to carry us the next stage to 
Hooblee, and after a moonlight meal off the 
remainder of our provisions, we climbed up 
into the howdah and set forward. The how- 
dah is a kind of house fastened on the ele- 
phant's back, and this one had pillars all round 
of red, green, and gold, with little looking- 
glasses in them. It was open between the 
pillars, but could be closed at will by curtains 
of red silk. Inside the howdah there was a 
large pillow to recline against, but as the whole 
depth of the thing was only about six inches, the 
doubled-up, constrained position is very fatigu- 
ing to Europeans, and the elbow-room for two 
persons very limited. The elephant was dressed 
in a sort of petticoat of red and green, a collar 
of little bells round his neck, and two large 
bells swinging at his side ; his mahout, seated 
on his neck, drove him with an iron spike, and 
a mounted Sepoy of the Nawab's and several 
people on foot were in attendance. The mo- 
tion, a slow but violent jerk backwards and 
forwards, soon became unbearable in our con- 
strained position, and we were obliged to put 
our feet out at the front windows, and then, 



270 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



after a time, I went to sleep. The pace of 
the elephant is very slow on a journey, not 
much more than three miles an hour, so that 
it was half-past eight a.m. on this (Sunday) 
morning, when we dismounted at the Collector's 
bungalow at Hooblee, and sent the huge animal 
back, with many salaams to the Xawab. He 
was an enormous and splendid beast, and his 
face was painted in patterns with red paint. 
At Hooblee we found horses sent out to meet 
us, and cantered into Dharwar as fast as we 
could to get shelter from a very hot sun. where 
bath and breakfast were by no means un- 
pleasant luxuries to those who had been travel- 
ling unceasingly for three days. I found, on 
my return, that we are to pack up and be off in 

a couple of days, as Captain F is expected 

to-morrow to take over the battery. We drove 
to evening church with a new pair of bullocks, 
intended as supplementary ones to help ours 
on the road, and they appear to be good ones. 

Tuesday. October 26. 
Two days of severe labour, mental and bodily, 
including packing, paying and receiving money, 
settling disputes among refractory taUoowallas 
and garyu-aUas, and the difficulties expe- 



LEAVE DHARWAK. 



271 



rienced in actually starting the carts and 
servants, winch are enough to drive one out 
of one's senses. Added to this we had to 
attend a theatrical performance by the soldiers, 
£0t up expressly in our honour, and to bid good- 
bye to those kind friends with whom we had 
lived for so many months in daily and hourly 
intimacy, and I fear that the last dinner given 
to us by Mr, G was by no means so hila- 
rious a meeting as had been intended. 

Wednesday, October 27, 

Parted with poor old James (our soldier 
servant) who is almost heartbroken at being- 
obliged to be left behind and give up the care 
of the baby ; and after starting the latter young- 
gentleman with the Ayah in our gary, L 

and I mounted our horses, and after bidding a 
few more good-byes rode out, accompanied by 
several of our friends, to the travellers' bunga- 
low at Tehgoor, about twelve miles on the 
Belgaum-road ; where we arrived to breakfast. 
We had intended pushing on to Hooblee in the 
evening, but the dak laid for our gary failed, so 
-we were compelled to remain at Tehgoor, 
though without our beds or luggage, which had 
o-one on before. Our -friends remained to spend 



272 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



the day with us, and towards evening the 
gentlemen took their guns, and we walked 
through the light jungle of the surrounding 
hills, to see if any game was procurable, 
but no living thing was to be seen, except a 
few sheep and bullocks grazing. We were 
obliged to dine by daylight, having no candles, 
and had great difficulty afterwards in procuring 
a country wick and light. After dinner we sat 
talking over the merry days of the past months, 
till the bright stars warned our friends that 
they had a long ride before them ; and when 

they were gone L and I dressed ourselves 

ready for an early start, and wrapping ourselves 
in a cumbly (or country plaid) with a coat 
rolled for a pillow, lay down and slept soundly; 
baby being very well provided for, in the 
cushions of the gary, spread with shawls on the 
floor. 

Thursday, October 28. 

We left Tehgoor about six, and arrived at 
Hooblee between nine and ten. The bullocks 
we had laid on for the gary proved very bad 
ones, and they were so long on the road that I 
got quite uneasy about baby, and sent out some 
broth to meet him on a Coolie's head. The 
Hooblee river was now very full of water, so we 



ATTACKED BY ILLNESS. 



273 



had to dismount and have the horses made to 
swim over, whilst we were carried to a boat on 
the shoulders of two men, whose sole article of 
clothing consisted in a little blue apron, about 
four inches square ; but I clung to my tawny 
supporters like grim death, being several times 
alarmed lest they should drop me into the 
water ! The weather has now quite changed ; 
the nice damp warmth of the monsoon has 
disappeared, and given way to what is called 
the cold weather, that is to say, the early 
mornings are very chilly, and the wind all day 
is east, and consequently dry and treacherous, 
while the sky is unclouded and the sun burning. 

In the evening we walked by the side of the 
large tank at Hooblee, which is shaded by a 
mound covered with splendid trees, under 
whose branches there is a mosque and a burial 
ground. I began to feel unwell, with symptoms 
of dysentery, making me glad of the prospect 
of reaching Belgaum to-morrow, where medical 
advice is procurable. 

Friday, October 29. 

We left Hooblee at daybreak, and rode six- 
teen miles into Belgaum by nine o'clock. I 
sent for the doctor, and decided on resting here 
over Sunday. 

T 



274 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Monday, November 1. 

For the last two days I have been condemned 
to lie on my bed without moving, and kept on 
a very spare allowance of rice conjee, the very 
nastiest mixture of hot water, rice, and salt, 
that was ever invented. This morning, as 

a further delay was impossible for L , I 

was put into a palkee, as I was not considered 
fit to mount my horse, and so performed, 
in about five hours, the eighteen miles' stage 
to Soutguttee. After crossing the bare plain, 
in which stands Belgaum, — brown and ugly 
even now, such a contrast to beautiful green 
Dharwar, and the Southern jungles, — we came 
to prettily wooded hills, among which the road 
wound, passing occasional groups of magnifi- 
cent trees, till at the bottom of a long descent 
we came suddenly upon the bungalow at Sout- 
guttee, with its far-famed banyan tree in a field 
near the road. In the evening, as I could not 

walk, L put me on one of the tattoos, and 

we strolled down to the great tree. It has five 
or six principal stems, each as large as an 
enormous oak, besides smaller ones innumer- 
able, and there are such quantities of pendent 
roots that, if the world lasts long enough, it 
bids fair to be the parent of a forest. There is a 



LARGE BANYAN TREE. 



275 



little village here, and a square Fort, with round 
towers at the corners, apparently in good 
repair, situated on the banks of a river, which 
rushing over a rocky bed is here very pretty, as 
it winds under and through wooded hills, where 
we heard the peacocks screaming as they went 
to roost. 

Tuesday, November 2, 

Our journey was only ten miles to-day to 
Gotoor ; and, though I felt weak at first, the 
easy paces of my beautiful Arab enabled me to 
get through the journey better than I expected. 
Immediately on leaving Soutguttee, we had to 
ford the river, with the water up to our saddles ; 
and then, ascending a long hill, we looked back 
on the lovely smiling valley of Soutguttee, em- 
bosomed in wooded hills, and emerged on the 
bare plains of the Deccan, dotted here and 
there with abrupt hills, crowned with Forts ; 
besides which every tiny village is walled and 
fortified. We had two other rivers to cross, 
not so deep as the first ; but the road was very 
bad, being quite washed away, before arriving 
at the bungalow at Gotoor, which is situated 
close to an uninteresting ruinous village, and 
overlooks a wide extent of plain, and four re- 
markable hills, with their crowning Forts. 
t 2 



276 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Wednesday, Xovember 3. 

Our ride this morning was a beautiful one. 
skirting the base of the fori -crowned hills, and 
passing a town whose massive towered gates 
were very picturesque. Leaving the hills, our 
road ascended gently, till we suddenly found 
ourselves on the top of an abrupt ridge— down 
which the road was carried in a zigzag. A few 
miles farther in the plain lay the town and 
bungalow of Nepanee. This is the territory of 
a native Rajah ; and the land is in a very neg- 
lected and ill-cultivated state. Near the bun- 
galow is a very large and handsome palace, 
formerly the residence of the reigning family : 
but, since the decay of their fortunes, it has 
been abandoned for a smaller one in the town. 

We sent our salaams to the Rajah, with a 
request to be allowed to see the palace, and 
were answered by an announcement that he 
intended to pay his respects to us at three 
o'clock. Shortly after this we had a visit from 
his Vakeel, or Secretary, who had been brought 
up at the English school in Poona, and could 

speak very fair English. L received him, 

whilst I was lying down in an inner room ; and, 
on hearing the Mem Sahib was not very well, 
he offered to prescribe some native powder for 



THE KAJAH OF NEPANEE. 



277 



me ; of which, however, I declined availing 
myself. At the appointed time the Rajah's caval- 
cade was seen approaching. He was mounted 
on a prancing white horse, with a red and 
yellow saddle. The animal was coarse and un- 
derbred ; but trained to execute elaborate cur- 
vettings. A man ran by the Eajah's side, carry- 
ing a crimson satin fan, to shade him from the 
sun. The Prime Minister and Yakeel accom- 
panied him on horseback. An escort of five 
sowars caracoled round about in the most 
approved native fashion; whilst crowds of at- 
tendants, on foot, completed the cortege. 

We had chairs and a carpet in the verandah, 
ready to receive our guest, who is a young man, 
with a remarkably sinister expression of coun- 
tenance, and stupid withal, as he scarcely 
spoke a word himself, leaving the customary 
civilities to his Ministers. He was very simply 
dressed, in a white linen jacket, and pyjamas, 
with a plum-coloured border, and a turban of 
the same colour ; his only ornaments being a 
necklace of large onyxes, two pearls in each 
ear, and a handsome ring. After a few minutes 
our guests departed, leaving a small elephant, 
with a fine red howdah, for us to ride upon, 
and return the visit. We dined as soon as 



278 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



they were gone; and then, accompanied by 
our friend, the Vakeel, who had returned to 
act as cicerone, we mounted the elephant, and 
were conducted through the large, but very 
dirty and miserable town of Nepanee, to the 
once strong Fort (one side of which has just 
been blown away by our engineers, as a matter 
of precaution, to prevent future mischief) ; which 
we entered under a tall archway, and across a 
moat, filled with water, and dismounted at the 
gate of the palace, now inhabited by the Rajah. 

The gate itself was a good specimen of the 
Moorish arch, with handsome carving in stone 
all round it : entering, we found ourselves in 
a square court, the opposite side of which was 
occupied by a double wooden verandah, with 
elaborately carved pillars and cornices. As- 
cending to the lower verandah, which was lit- 
tered with harness, and boxes, and dirty rubbish 
of every description, we advanced across an 
inner court, where were four or five pretty tame 
gazelles, and were shown into a small room 
with a carpet, and a row of chairs ; and here 
we sat in solemn durbar for a few minutes, 
whilst betel-nut, and rags dipped in oil of 
sandal-wood, were handed round, and neck- 
laces of yellow flowers hung round our necks. 



NATIVE PLACE. 



279 



The young Rajah showed more animation in 
his own house ; but he has a bad look about 
his eye. A few years since, this family were 
very rich and powerful, and had a revenue of 
seven lacs of rupees. How it happened I do 
not exactly know ; but somehow, John Com- 
pany found that it was not prudent to allow so 
much power and wealth to remain in native 
hands ; and so the Rajahs of Nepanee were 
eased of their superfluous riches, and left with 
a small territory only worth about 1,500/. a 
year. The present Rajah has one wife (who 
excused herself from receiving me, on the plea 
of not speaking our language), but no son; so, 
as our Government refuse to recognize adop- 
tion, the small remaining territory will lapse to 
Queen Victoria on his death ; and as it is im- 
possible for the people and land to be in worse 
condition, there is every hope they may im- 
prove under her rule. 

At the durbar a few complimentary speeches 
were made, expressive of the joy felt by the 
Rajah at seeing us, and his hopes that we 
would come again, &c. ; then an opinion was 
expressed that the English were all good 
people, but natives very bad — to this we had 
to make suitable rejoinder, and then rose to 



280 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



go. We were now conducted through an- 
other court, where the horses were kept ; and 
a more filthy stable it is impossible to conceive ! 
In short, the state of the whole palace would 
have disgraced an English pigsty; and some 
traces of painting on the walls were blackened 
and obliterated by dirt. Among the stud was 
one splendid animal, a bay, sixteen hands high, 
and very powerful; and of him the Rajah, 
who is fond of hunting, seemed justly proud. 
There were besides a few coarse, fat, strong 
horses, and half a dozen tattoos, besides a fine 
old mare and her foal. We took our leave 
outside the palace ; and, still escorted by the 
Vakeel and the sowars, remounted the elephant, 
and returned home. We could not help being 
amused at the rapacity of the mahout; who, 
at first starting, the moment we entered the 
howdah* began to bargain for chirimiri, or back- 
shish. We took the Vakeel to see our stud of 
horses and bullocks, of which he expressed ad- 
miration ; then, sitting down for a few minutes, 
he suddenly exclaimed, interrogatively, " I may 
go ?" and so departed. 



FORDING A RIVER. 



281 



CHAPTER XI. 

CROSSING A RIVER— NATIVE HOUSE— KOLAPORE THE 
MUTINY. — THE MAHARAJAH' S EQUIPAGE THE PALACE 
— DANCING ELEPHANT — UNINTERESTING JOURNEY— 

SATTARA RANEE'S PALACE AND GARDENS EORT 

HOLT EISH — ARRIVE AT POONA. 

Thursday, November 4, 

Leaving Nepanee at dawn we passed through 
a strong gateway and fortification, built across 
the road, (truly the peace of the world required 
that these turbulent Eajahs should be re- 
strained,) and continued along a flat, ugly 
country, though with a range of fine hills 
in the background, to the banks of a wide 
river, the current of which was exceedingly 
strong, though, by following exactly the track 
of our guide, the water did not reach the 
saddles. The garij with the baby was close 
behind us, and we waited to see him safely 
across : when about half-way over, the bullocks 
swerved from the right direction, and down 
went one wheel into a hole, where it stuck fast, 
all the efforts of bullocks and drivers only 
appearing to endanger upsetting the carriage, 



282 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



without getting it out of the hole. I got 
dreadfully alarmed for the safety of the child, 
and had him taken out and carried to the 
shore, and at last, with the assistance of 
Coolies to man the wheels, the gary was 
brought out in safety. After crossing another 
river in a boat, we entered on the independent 
territory of Kargul; the fields teemed with 
beautiful crops and gardens, and groves of trees 
lined the road as we approached the little 
town, through which the road is carried ; the 
entrance is through a strong gate, enfiladed on 
both sides by a loopholed wall. In the centre 
of the town are two very large and handsome 
native houses, having turrets at each comer 
painted in patterns, red, white, and yellow. 
The windows are all on the upper storey, and 
through those that were open we saw elaborate 
paintings in green and red on the inner walls. 
One of the houses is the property of the 
Nawab, son to the prime minister of Hindu 
Rao, and, pending a disputed right of inheri- 
tance, he governs this state as a fief, held 
under the Maharajah of Kolapore. Passing 
through the town we took up our quarters at a 
bungalow, which is private property, and pro- 
portionately bad. In the evening a peon 



PALACE AT KARGUL. 



283 



arrived to take us to see a little cottage, sup- 
posed to be in the English style, belonging to 
the Nawab, and where, if we had known it, we 
might have stayed. It was situated in a cool 
and pretty garden, shaded by cypresses, and 
had some attempt at furniture, in the shape of 
couches and mirrors, but I doubt not the 
mosquitos are rampant there. 

Thence we were conducted to see the Nawab's 
palace, a very good specimen of a well-ordered 
house, belonging to a native of rank. He was 
himself absent, but his wife sent civil messages to 
us. We rode through two courts, and alighted 
at the usual verandahed front of the durbar, 
or hall of • reception, the walls of which were 
prettily painted: it was occupied by writers 
transacting business, and here I learned that 
the numerous niches so universal in the walls 
of native houses are the receptacles of papers 
or any stray article, which we should find place 
for on tables or in drawers. We were taken to 
the upper storey by a steep dark stair, and 
found it not divided into rooms, but consisting 
of three long galleries round the court, with 
windows looking on the street, evidently as 
popular as the club windows in London. 
Thence we ascended to the roof, which had 



284 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



galleries all round for promenades, and little 
belvedere towers at each corner, commanding 
beautiful views over the adjacent country. 
Every part of the house was very clean and 
nice, but there was no attempt at furniture, 
except carpets in the durbar. Before returning 
to our bungalow we threaded the narrow and 
intricate lanes of the town, and inspected a 
Fort on the opposite side, now used as a prison, 
and guarded by native troops, who are here 
permitted to bear arms. The festival of the 
Dewallee is now going on, and the town was 
brilliantly illuminated, the principal houses 
being lighted architecturally by rows of torches 
round the cornices. 

Friday, November 5. 

We rode ten miles into Kolapore this morn- 
ing, along the most execrable road, often 
traversing masses of sheet rock, and then 
descending into boggy nullahs;— being the pro- 
perty of a native state no trouble is taken 
about it, and often during the monsoon it is 
wholly impassable. Wherever our Government 
has the superintendence of the roads, they are 
in general very good, the small nullahs being 
bridged over ; but at the large rivers, where the 
expense of bridging would be great, you are 



MUTINY AT KOLAPORE. 



285 



left to take your chance, and get over in the 
best way you can. The Station at Kolapore is 
situated on an arid plain, scarcely enlivened by 
a tree, but with a fine background of Ghauts to 
bound the view. The old city lies two miles 
away, embosomed in foliage, out of which peep 
the summits of some of its temples and towers. 
We were most hospitably received by Captain 
S , assistant Political Agent and Command- 
ant of the corps of local police, from whom I 
received the following account of the transactions 
here in July 1857. For some time sinister 
reports had prevailed of the disaffection of the 
27th Kegiment, Bombay N. L, the only troops 
in the Station, except a few irregular horse and 
the police ; there was not a single European, 
except the officers and their wives, the Resi- 
dent, and the civilians and their families. At 
length, on July 31st, just after my informant 
had gone to bed, firing was heard in the native 
lines. He immediately got up and ran to his 
own regiment — the police — to see that they 
remained staunch. It was found that a portion 
of the 27th were in open mutiny, and were 
firing into the mess -house and officers' bunga- 
lows, but, fortunately, in a desultory manner, 
and without killing any one. But now com- 



286 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



menced the real tragedy : three poor young 
officers thinking remaining in their bungalows 
was certain death, set off together to try and 
escape to the coast. They wandered through 
the night, barefooted and bareheaded, and at 
length lay down to rest in a temple. Mean- 
time the mutinous Sepoys, cowardly as they 
were disaffected, were dispersed by a few volleys 
from the faithful police, and took to flight 
along the only road passable, on account of the 
recent rains, and coming upon their poor young 
officers sleeping, barbarously murdered them. 

It is satisfactory to know that the rebels, con- 
tinuing their march into the Koncan, met with 
far less sympathy than they expected, and 
were nearly to a man destroyed by want and 
sickness. During this fearful night, the wife 
of our informant was left alone in her bunga- 
low, when some native officers of the police 
came to her, and assuring her that she was no 
longer safe, besought her to commit herself to 
their care, which she did, and they concealed 
her for a time in a hut in their own lines, from 
whence they escorted her to the Residency, 
where the rest of the ladies had assembled, and 
where for long they slept every night, guarded 
by the faithful police. The rest of the 27th 



MURDER OF THREE OFFICERS. 287 

Eegiment were disarmed, their number changed 
to the 31st, and all those among them executed 
who were found to have been ringleaders of the 
mutiny. Thus began and ended the Sepoy rebel- 
lion at Kolapore, but the English residents were 
not long suffered to rest in security. Throughout 
the ensuing months reports were rife that the 
brother of the Maharajah, who was known to 
be in correspondence with Nana Sahib, was 
using every effort to persuade the natives to 
rise and murder all the Europeans, and night 
after night men might be seen lurking behind 
the bushes in the Compounds, withheld in a 
wonderful way by their natural awe of the 
Sahibs, from an open outbreak. At length, on 
the 6th December, a large body of rebels 
collected, and being admitted into the city by 
some traitors among the Maharajah's troops, 
proceeded to attack his Highness himself in his 
palace, which was however held by the police. 
Meantime the rebels shut the city gates, and 
threw themselves into a small Fort in the town ; 
but their triumph was short. Next morning 
General Jacob, principal Political Agent, ad- 
vanced against them with a little band of 
picked men from tbe police and irregulars, 
blew open the gates, and took the Fort ; (it was 



288 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



here, in leading the storming party, that 
Lieutenant Kerr, of the Southern Mahratta 
Horse, gained the Victoria Cross ;) and now 
short trials and speedy executions were for 
some time the order of the day ; the traitor 
prince was seized and sent for his health 
beyond sea, and all has been quiet since at 
Kolapore. 

Saturday, November 6. 

We remained guests of Captain S — - — 's for 
to-day to give rest to our cattle and servants. 
As our host's carriage was, for some reason or 
other, not available, he sent to request the loan 
of the Maharajah's to take us to see the city 
and palace, and accordingly it arrived for us in 
the afternoon, escorted by a sowar. Such a 
vehicle ! originally an ugly green English 
britska, but little of the former paint remained, 
and one wheel had been replaced by a native 
one, wholly innocent of the brush! The 
cushions were covered with a once gorgeous 
crimson and yellow damask, now rags and 
dirt ; the horses, once good, were aged veterans, 
from whom the rotten pieces of old English har- 
ness dropped as we drove along, and the ghorra- 
wallas were as dirty as can well be imagined ! 
It was rather late when we started, to avoid a 



PALACE AT KOLAPOEE. 289 

kind of saturnalia, which, till sunset, had been 
going on in the palace court, in honour of the 
Dewallee festival, during the continuance of 
which it is customary for the fakeers to divest 
themselves of even the limited amount of 
clothes usually worn ! The old city is ap- 
proached by fording a river, and threading the 
usual dirty suburb ; after which you pass through 
a series of strong Fort gates, and come suddenly 
upon the great gateway of the palace court, a 
truly magnificent building. It is of black 
stone, highly polished, and elaborately carved, 
and contains in its upper stories numerous 
small apartments, with black polished floors, 
walls, and ceilings, divided by pillars of the 
same material. The entrance to the court of 
the palace is through the centre arch, while the 
two side arches form the stables of two enor- 
mous elephants. The original design evidently 
was, to complete the whole palace in the same 
style as the gateway, two small towers to cor- 
respond having been begun ; but probably the 
expense was found to be too great, and the 
rest of the large pile of buildings is built of 
wood and plaister, gaily painted. Whilst I was 
endeavouring to make a slight sketch of the 
gateway, the Maharajah's " Dancing Elephant" 

u 



290 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



was brought from his abode under the arch to 
perform before " us. He was a very large one, 
and his face and trunk were painted in patterns 
with blue, green, and red paint. His dancing 
consisted in rearing and bounding forward, 
with an activity quite wonderful in so ponderous 
a beast, and then, in obedience to the orders of 
his mahout, executing a series of quick shuffles 
round the courtyard ; though how the latter 
contrived to keep his seat on the huge beast's 
neck during all these prancings, remained a 
mystery. His Highness 's favourite charger was 
next brought out for our inspection, a hand- 
some and very powerful grey, with a long tail 
dyed crimson, though, to our ideas, much too 
fat; he too was made to curvet and execute 
wonderful bounds into the air, really surprising 
in a poor animal whose head was tightly tied 
into his chest by the native martingale. These 
exhibitions over, we walked to see the great 
temple in an adjoining court. Of Jain origin, 
and built of polished black stone, its pillars, 
walls, and cornices most delicately and elabo- 
rately carved, it has had pointed Hindu white 
domes added on to it at a later date, and the 
carving suffered a good deal, when the city was 
taken by the Muhammedans under the Emperor 



HINDU TEMPLE, 



291 



Aurengzeb. Altogether, with its varied shape, 
vast extent, and the arches and cloisters by 
which it is approached, this temple must rank 
as one of the most magnificent and beautiful 
of the architectural remains of ancient India. 

The numerous small tanks in the courts of the 
temple were to-day thronged with gaily dressed 
natives ; some of the younger girls had splendid 
eyes, and were altogether less ugly than usual. 
The trees in the courts were hung with strings 
of bright paper lanthorns, to be illuminated at 
dark. We were not allowed to enter the 
temple itself, as it is looked upon as remarkably 
holy, but we looked into a small shrine in one 
of the courts, which was lighted up, and it con- 
tained an idol dressed in tinsel and covered 
with jewels, just the very model of many a 
saint I have seen in Christian Europe. On our 
return to the palace I waited, whilst the gentle- 
men made salaams to the Maharajah, who is a 
quiet, inoffensive man, content to enjoy his 
empty state, denuded of even the shadow of 
power ! His chief amusement is in shooting, 
and he has frequent battues for hares and wild 
fowl, which abound in the neighbourhood. We 
were escorted through the city by flambeau- 
bearers, as it was dark before we left the palace. 
u2 



292 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Sunday, November 7. 

We were obliged to continue our journey to- 
day, as the allowance of time to an officer 
proceeding to join his regiment, is a clay for 
every twelve miles, and we were already behind- 
hand, owing to the delay occasioned by my 
illness at Belgaum. We had to cross the 
river, about two miles from the Station at Kola- 
pore, and being wide and deep it was an opera- 
tion that took a considerable time. The horses 
required a little persuasion before they would 
jump into the boat ; the bullocks were made to 
swim over: the road also was extremely bad, so 
that it was ten o'clock before we arrived at the 
bungalow at Kinnie to breakfast. The sun in 
these plains is very scorching, and the hot wind 
blows all day, dry and disagreeable, and oh ! 
so different to moist, cool Dharwar. 

Just at dusk, as we were watching the depar- 
ture of our carts, an English gentleman rode up, 
and asked for a little refreshment, of which, un- 
fortunately, we had very little to offer him, as 
our provisions had gone on for the next day. 
He was riding post into Eolapore. - 

Monday, November S. 

The stage of eighteen miles to Pait Xerla. is 



INFLUX OF TRAVELLERS. 293 



over a remarkably arid and uninteresting 
country, and the travellers' bungalow is situated 
on a barren piece of rocky ground, very glaring 
and hot. At the precise moment of our arrival, 
two palkees approached from the opposite 
direction, and we found them to contain two 
ladies of our acquaintance, who were travelling 
from Poona to Belgaum, escorted by a gentle- 
man on horseback, and also accompanied by an 
English maid. This was a somewhat incon- 
venient addition to our party, as the whole 
accommodation at the little bungalows on this 
road consists in three small rooms : however, 
there was no help for it, and we passed a very 
agreeable day together, making common stock 
of both breakfast and dinner, and happily at 
night the ladies determined to push on another 
stage, leaving us in undisturbed possession. 

The road is now nothing but a track, worn 
smooth in places, but quite broken away at 
every small nullah. The crops on the black 
soil are magnificent, particularly the grain 
called Jewaree, which grows higher than the 
head of a man on horseback. The ear in some 
degree resembles a bullrush, and the grassy 
leaves belonging to the stalk are used dry 
instead of hay, and are considered very nutriti- 



294 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



ous for horses ; they are called Kerby. Sugar- 
cane is also much cultivated here, and is a very 
pretty crop, with its graceful pointed leaves. 
Chilies and cotton are also very abundant : the 
former, now being gathered and laid on the 
ground to dry, look at a distance like a scarlet 
carpet; and the graceful castor-oil plant is 
much used for hedges. Gourds and melons, 
and numerous grains both for oil and food, are 
also cultivated. There are large fires lighted at 
night, to keep the herds of wild pig out of the 
corn, and all day men and boys, often mounted 
on little platforms, keep up the most diabolical 
noise to protect the crops from the depredations 
of birds. 

Tuesday, November 9. 

The road was worse than yesterday, and 
after fifteen miles we came to Kurar, a large 
town on the banks of a deep wide river, which 
we shall have to cross to-morrow. So few 
travellers, excepting troops, ever are seen in 
this country that we create quite a sensation, 
and the Mamlut-dhar of the place sent his 
salaam and an offer of every assistance in his 
power to get our things over the river. I 
suppose the average would not exceed six 
private families in the year, travelling on this 



SCENE AT A FORD. 



295 



the Grand Trunk Road of the Bombay Presi- 
dency, and if ever moving is made easier and 
more general, some better accommodation will 
have to be made, than the very small and 
uncomfortable bungalows, which, however, 
have the merit of cleanliness. Kurar is very 
prettily situated on a rocky height overhanging 
the river, and has the remains of strong fortifi- 
cations; it possesses a doubtful character for 
loyalty, and Nana Sahib is the proprietor of a 
house here. We amused ourselves for some 
time during our evening stroll, watching the 
country people from the opposite bank carrying 
burthens through the ford into the town, the 
water being up to their shoulders : one woman 
in particular, carrying something on her head, 
emerged from the water, scantily but quite 
decently clothed; and laying down her burthen, 
she very quickly and gracefully wound her 
saree around her, (which she had carried high 
above the water in her hand,) and dropping the 
wet cloth which had been bound round her 
body, she proceeded, dry and smart, to do her 
errand in the town. 

There is a very large and handsome mosque, 
situated in the centre of the principal bazaar, to 
a nearer inspection of which we were attracted 
by its tall and graceful minarets. 



296 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Wednesday, November 10. 

The crossing of the river was effected with 
great success, the gary being placed in a 
large flat-bottomed boat, and the bullocks 
swam over, whilst our horses were led through 
the ford. The road to Atteet (eighteen miles) 
is very flat and tiresome, and extremely bad, 
though the distant Ghauts always afford pretty 
views. The bungalow is well placed near some 
trees on the banks of a small stream. 

Thursday, November 11. 

A pretty ride of ten miles along a nicely 
wooded valley, enclosed in an amphitheatre of 
fine hills, among which we wound, and emerged 
into another valley on the other side, brought 
us to the pretty little Station of Sattara, with 
its white bungalows and green trees. We were 

met, on our arrival, by Captain S , who 

most kindly undertook to entertain us, though 
total strangers, during our stay. I was obliged 
in the first place to send for a doctor to pre- 
scribe for an inflamed eye, which had been 
giving me much pain and annoyance for some 
days past, and after applying a lotion, which 
gave me excruciating pain, I was ordered to put 
on leeches. They were brought from the 



PALACE AND GARDEN AT SATTARA, 297 



hospital for my use, by the most horrible look- 
ing old woman, who is kept to attend to them, 
and were tied up in a rag, with some lumps of 
earth. The animals themselves were bright 
green, with yellow stripes, quite a different 
variety from the black leeches at Gairsapa, 
which resembled their English brethren ; how- 
ever, they were hungry and did their duty, and 
gave almost instant relief to my pain. In the 

evening Captain and Mrs. S took us to 

see the palace belonging to the Eajah of Sat- 
tara, who for treasonable practices is now our 
prisoner in Bombay ; the Kanee is still allowed 
to live here. The Durbar Hall is a splendid 
apartment, 150 feet long, lighted at night by 
innumerable glass chandeliers, and along each 
side are rows of fountains, the effect of which 
must have been very beautiful. We next went 
to the palace garden, which was closely planted 
with rows of cocoa-nut and betel-nut, palms 
and plantains, with a few roses and other 
flowers underneath, and was traversed by paved 
walks intersecting one another at right angles. 
The sun's rays did not penetrate, and it was 
deliciously cool and refreshing. There are 
several square tanks in the garden, with bathing- 
rooms attached, and different little bungalows, 



298 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



two of which contain rooms, with walls and 
ceilings of looking-glass. Two other rooms 
are entirely covered with water- coloured pictures, 
portraits, some of them palpably the work of a 
French artist, whilst others are native produc- 
tions, but all, whether by European or Indian 
artists, represent the beauties of the Zenana as 
white, very fair ! From the gardens we went to 
see the Kanee's stud, many of them splendid 
horses, and all kept doing nothing, in a fine 
range of clean airy stables ; and here we saw 
a baby elephant of three years old, whose boy- 
mahout he was already learning to obey. 

The palace stands in a handsome square of 
the native town of Sattara, the streets of which 
generally are wider and handsomer than those 
of any I have seen. The situation is beautiful, 
on sloping ground, overhung by a fort-crowned 
rock, with all the roads lined by avenues of fine 
trees, and looking over the green Station, and 
across a wide plain, to the purple Ghauts 
bounding the horizon. Driving homewards 
we stopped to see a tunnel, by means of which 
a road has been carried through a rocky hill 
to the villages in a valley on the other side, 
and the view was lovely in the glow of sunset. 



HOLY FISHES. 



299 



Friday, November 12. 

We remained at Sattara to-day, spending the 
time with our hospitable friends, and it was 
amusing to see the wonder evinced by the baby, 
at finding himself in the midst of four little 
people of his own age and upwards, he having 
evidently hitherto considered himself the only 
baby in the world. In the evening we drove 
to the foot of the hill on which the Fort is built, 
and getting into palkees, were borne up a steep 
and narrow path, and through the usual zigzag 
gateways to the interior, which is in good 
repair, and guarded by fine old towers. The 
view on each side is magnificent. The interior 
is large, and contains many fine trees, and a 
palace where a turbulent Eajah was imprisoned 
for eighteen years. There are also the ruins of a 
Hindu Temple of great reputed sanctity, in 
front of which is a tank literally swarming 
with sacred fish, who are considered too holy 
to be killed, and are fed with grain twice a day 
at the expense of Government. Some rice was 
brought and thrown into the water, when it was 
a curious sight to see the struggling mass of 
living creatures, fighting, leaping, splashing, 
and disputing over the grains of rice ; absolutely 
millions of little moving bodies ! This Fort 



300 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



capitulated to our forces after a few days' siege 
in 1818, since which time the Eajahswere per- 
mitted to enjoy a nominal sovereignty under our 
'protection till last year, when, finding that the 
Rajah and Ins brother were extensively con- 
cerned in the rebellion in the north-west, they 
were seized and sent prisoners to Bombay. 

Saturday, November 13. 

We again set forward on our travels, though 
rather later than usual, being delayed by horse- 
dealing transactions, which resulted in the 
purchase of a tattoo; the road crossed the 
plain and gradually ascended to a higher level ; 
it was very good, the nullahs being crossed by 
fine bridges, just what the rest of the road 
ought to be, and the views either way very 
pretty. Our stage was fourteen miles to 
Deewa, where the bungalow is prettily situated 
in a grove of fine trees. We found it occupied 
by a party of dragoons bringing horses to Sat- 
tara, but they soon pitched their tents, and got 
out of our way. In one of the rooms there 
remained a poor sick young Englishman, a 
clerk in the telegraph department, who was 
proceeding quite alone to Poona, and was pro- 
strate with fever. He was very grateful for 



BANDECOUTE RAT. 



301 



some quinine which I gave him, and before 
long was able to continue his journey in his 
ganj. After a pleasant stroll in the evening 
we retired to bed as usual, but not to rest, for 
though in this country one gets so entirely ac- 
customed to the presence of rats and mice that 
you think little about them, still the noise of 
something gnawing and munching was so extra- 
ordinary, that it made one sit up to see by 
what animal it could be caused, and we beheld 
leaping from the table, where he had been 
feasting on biscuit, an enormous bandecoute, a 
creature of the rat species, but as big as a cat ! 
Waiting till we were sure he had made his 
escape through a broken window-pane, we 
erected a ponderous barricade, consisting of 
carpet-bags, books, and every thing solid we 
possessed, first taking care to put the remains 
of his supper outside the window, and then 
once more endeavoured to woo the sleepy god ; 
alas ! in vain, as swarms of smaller vermin 
infesting this bungalow determined to prevent 
our rest. 

Sunday, November 14. 

We rode twenty- one miles into Neera Bridge 
by nine o'clock, over the most desolate and 
barren country I ever saw, absolutely nothing 



302 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



green to be seen, except a few stunted young 
trees planted by the roadside. We descended 
a steep Ghaut from the plateau on which Deewa 
is situated, and forded a wide river at Neera, the 
bridge having been broken for some years, and 
no steps taken to repair it. The bungalow is 
very small and dusty, close to the high road, 
with a few wretched huts around it. 

Monday, November 15. 

A vehicle, misnamed a phaeton, which we 
had ordered to meet us here, to take us straight 
into Poona, in advance of our baggage, arrived 
during the night, and at dawn, loading it with 
all necessary articles, and accompanied by the 
ayah, and one servant, we took our seats, and 
prepared for a start. The horses however were 
of a different mind, and after enduring for a 
quarter of an hour sundry violent plunges, 
backings, and turnings, having an imminent 
tendency to upset or break the crazy vehicle, 
we got out till the point at issue between beasts 
and driver should be settled. One of the 
animals evinced so decided an objection to 
leaving the village, that at last we insisted on 
having him changed, and then were enabled 
to proceed on our way. We stopped to break- 



ARRIVE AT POONA. 



303 



fast at Jeejura, a village full of fine trees, * 
behind which rises a steep rock, crowned by a 
celebrated temple dedicated to some of the 
vilest rites of the Hindus, and supported by a 
grant from the English Government ! ! At the 
next stage, Sassoor, we saw the ruins of a fine 
old palace of Nana Sahib's, and further on a 
strong Fort at the foot of a range of hills, 
between two of which we gently ascended, and 
then wound down a long Ghaut into the plain 
of Poona, which looked as dusty, hot, and dry as 
when we left it nine months ago, We found, by 
the kindness of our old friends, our former 
house prepared for our reception, and servants 
ready to attend upon us. Our stay here will 
however only be to wait the arrival of our bag- 
gage, as L is to hurry on to join his troop, 

now in the field somewhere in the direction of 
Mhow, being attached to the cavalry division 
of the Central Indian Field Force. 



304 LIFE IN INDIA. 



CHAPTER XII. 

JOURNEY TO AHMEDNUGGER — TOMB OP THE SISTERS — 

PREPARATIONS POR ACTIYE SERVICE DEPARTURE OF 

CAPTAIN" PAGET SOLITARY LIFE SUMMONED TO 

MHOW — START AGAIN — JUNGLE FEYER — THE BHEELS— 
ARRIVAL AT MALLIGAWM — CHRISTMAS EYE. 

Friday, November 19. 

The last three days have been spent in laying 

in a stock of necessaries for L to take into 

the field, and in worries and difficulties without 
number, connected with our servants, who 
almost all refuse to go a step farther, and no 
fresh ones from this place can be induced to go 
up country. We had to threaten the contuma- 
cious with flogging, and bribe them by the 
promise of double wages. At this moment, 
with the immense influx of European troops 
into the country, it is very difficult to get any 
respectable servants, as the very lowest and 
most disreputable caste think it easy to impose 
on fresh comers, and flourishing written charac- 
ters are easily bought in the bazaar. Our 
carts arrived on Wednesday, and the things 
transferred to fresh vehicles were sent on again 



POSTING TO AHMEDNUGGER. 305 

yesterday, while we are ordered to proceed 
post to Ahmednugger, — a useless expense, as we 
must wait there for horses and baggage. Ac- 
cordingly we left Poona in a phaeton at six 
this morning, and travelled all day over a wide 
plain through a most uninteresting country, 
occasionally cultivated, but often barren and 
stony, and always dry, brown, and dusty. The 
road was good, except at occasional dips into 
the beds of rivers. We changed horses at 
about every seven miles, and at every second 
stage we had some arrowroot warmed for baby, 
who kept up his character of a good traveller, 
through this long hot day. Upsets and acci- 
dents are frequent with the crazy vehicles 
employed on these roads, and as we were 
heavily laden we were fortunate to escape, par- 
ticularly as there seemed to be great doubts 
about our wheels, which at every stage required 
greasing, and were several times taken off. 

At Seroor, about half-way, there is a small 
station, and a wide river to cross, which was 
now too shallow to allow of the boat being 
used, but, apparently, there was a difficulty 
about the horses drawing the carriage through 
the very soft deep sand of which the bottom is 
composed, so they were taken off, and we were 

x 



306 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



drawn down a steep bank, through the river, 
and up the opposite side, by about twenty shout- 
ing, chattering Coolies, innocent of garments, 
and vociferous for backshish. Towards eve- 
ning we approached some hills, quite a relief 
after the monotony of the plain, and about 
eight o'clock, by the light of a glorious moon, 
we entered the Station of Ahmednugger, 
abounding in fine trees, and appearing like an 
oasis in the desert ; and were hospitably received 
at the bungalow of the Brigadier commanding. 
The distance from Poona, which we had been 
fourteen hours in performing, is about seventy 
miles. 

Saturday, November 20. 

We do not know how to settle our plans ; it 

appears as if I could not accompany L 

any farther, as he will have to put his baggage 
on tattoos, and travel faster than the bullock- 
gary with baby, could keep up; then it is 
quite uncertain where his troop is, no one here 
has any intelligence, and the last news of Tan- 
tia Topee is, that he is in the neighbourhood of 
Asseergkur, which is on the direct route between 
this place and Mhow. If I remain here I fear 
I shall have difficulty in getting a house, as 
they are very scarce, and the first choice be- 



TOMBS OF THE SISTERS. 307 



longs to officers quartered in the Station. I 
had thoughts of pushing on to Aurengabad, but 
am advised against it, as the number of Euro- 
pean troops is very small there, and the Station 
is considered somewhat unprotected. We went 
to-day to see Mrs. A — — whom we had known 
in Poona, and found her living in such a pretty 
place, quite in the country, like a house in 
England. The two sitting-rooms of her house 
are made out of the interior of two large tombs 
called The Sisters, from a tradition of their 
being the burial places of two twin grand- 
daughters of the great Emperor Aurenzeb, who 
in a fit of anger killed one, and the other died 
of grief. A bungalow is attached to them on 
one side, containing bedrooms, and the whole 
stands in a pretty garden, surrounded with fine 
trees, about a mile from the cantonment. 

Monday, November 22. 

L had his tent and baggage packed on 

eight tattoos, ready for starting, which were 
picketed at the door of the guard-room, in the 
Brigadier's Compound ; and yet, during the 
night, their owners had contrived to decamp 
with them, and were nowhere to be found this 
morning — so greatly do the natives dislike being 
x 2 



308 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



sent with an officer on service. To-day a fresh 
lot had to be pressed, and ponies bought for each 
of the servants ; who, notwithstanding the in- 
crease in their pay promised to them at Poona, 
here rebelled again, and demanded ponies, 
warm clothes, and field batta — all which de- 
mands an unfortunate officer is perfectly help- 
less to refuse. We were very busy packing the 
baggage — hoping to send it, and the servants, 
off at night ; but when evening came on, they 
begged to delay their departure till the morn- 
ing, from fear of the Rohillas, a predatory tribe, 
who are up on the frontier of the Nizam's terri- 
tory, between this and Aurengabad. 

Tuesday, November 23. 

After a great deal of annoyance and worry, 

we heard of a house here, and L and I 

went to see it, and agreed it was best to take 
it for me — though it is gloomy and dirty enough 
— and it will be some days before I can get into 
it. We then drove to see some pieces of fur- 
niture belonging to a person leaving the Sta- 
tion, and selected a few trifles for my house. 
The evening was hot and stifling, and a Dak 
bu\\ock-gary arrived to convey L to Auren- 
gabad : this we packed, with mattrass and 



DEPARTURE ON SERVICE. 309 

pillows, so as to form a not uncomfortable bed ; 
and at eight o'clock we had again to part — 
for the third time this year — he, to encounter 
the uncertainties of a lonely journey through 
an enemy's country, and I, left a stranger 
among strangers, to set up my solitary home. 
We hear that Tantia Topee has again eluded 
our forces ; and, passing to the westward, now 
threatens Dhoolia. His infantry have left him ; 
and his force consists of cavalry and elephants. 
He has issued a proclamation, calling upon the 
villagers to rise and destroy the Sahibs, and 
assuring them of protection, if they afford him 
supplies. 

Wednesday, December 15. 

The last three weeks have afforded little 
worthy of daily record, or of interest, to any 
one but myself. I moved into my house on the 
27th of November ; and my daily life was as 
monotonous and solitary as it is possible to 
conceive. My only enjoyment consisted in 
my daily rides — in which I explored most of 
the country within two or three miles of the 
cantonment, took many sketches, and found 
my horse a true and faithful companion. There 
are many fine ruins of the Muhammedan dynasty 
in the neighbourhood of Ahmednugger — the 



310 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



two principal of which are the palace of the 
Feriabagh, situated on an island in a tank, in 
the centre of park-like grounds, and the two 
ruins at the Bheestiebagh — both picturesque — 
and probably remains of kiosks, or hunting- 
boxes. I was never able to accomplish an ex- 
pedition to Salabat Khan's tomb — an extensive 
ruin, on a fine hill, from whence the view is 
said to be magnificent ; but the distance was 
too great for me to venture thither unaccom- 
panied. I had few acquaintance in Ahmed- 
nugger, and my life was very lonely ; and the 
delays and mismanagement of the postal ar- 
rangements were the cause of much anxiety to 
me : for, though my husband wrote to me con- 
stantly, I very rarely received a letter from 
him ; nor did he get those I despatched to him 
daily — till months after date — with one or two 
exceptions. All I could gather was, that he 
was still journeying as rapidly as possible in 
pursuit of his troop, which, like a Will-o'-the- 
wisp, seemed continually to elude him — the 
fact being, that Tantia Topee continued to lead 
our columns such an eccentric dance, it was 
never known with any certainty where any of 
them might be to-morrow. There were a good 
many other grass ividows, besides myself, in 



A SAD STORY. 



311 



Ahmednugger ; and one very sad case occurred, 
which threw a gloom oyer the whole canton- 
ment, and shocked me very much, though I 
was unacquainted with the parties concerned. 

A poor lady, Mrs. F , whose husband was 

suddenly ordered into the field, accompanied 
him the first day's march, and then returned 
to live — like me — with her child, in Ahmed- 
nugger, during his absence. Within a day or 
two she was seized with fever ; and, I believe, 
imprudently refused the proper remedies at 
first. She soon became delirious, and was 
nursed, as their own child, by the kind clergy- 
man and his wife. This state of things went 
on for about ten days ; during which there was 
no means of communicating with the husband, 
except by post, which was entirely useless — 
and, at last, the poor sufferer passed away 
among strangers. The next day the same kind 
strangers laid her to rest in the pretty English 
graveyard ; and a distant relation, aniving that 
evening from Bombay, carried off the poor little 
motherless babe, and the poor lady's personal 
effects. The bungalow was passed on to some 
fresh applicant; and all this desolation was 
brought about, perhaps not 100 miles from 
where the unfortunate husband was hunting 



312 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



the rebels, with some flying column, in total 
unconsciousness of his bereavement. 

The native city of Ahmednugger is enclosed 
within a wall, and boasts many handsome tombs 
and mosques within its circuit, as well as some 
of the widest and cleanest streets often seen in 
. Indian towns. The Collector's bungalow is 
situated just within the gates, and stands in a 
beautiful garden. There is something very sad 
in the very numerous monumental remains of 
the Muhammedan conquerors of the Deccan — 
grand old tombs, and splendid mosques— the 
names of those, to whose memory they were 
erected, being completely swept away— except 
in two or three instances, such as " The Sisters " 
— and the tomb of a favourite horse, which was 
pointed out to me the other day. 

On first settling in my bungalow, I set myself 
to work to unpack and tidily re-arrange my own 
and my husband's things ; which latter, packed 
by his native servant, were miracles of confusion. 
In each drawer, or box, I found a sample of each 
article of clothing— boots, shirts, coats, socks, 
and handkerchiefs; boots always uppermost, 
and unpapered. It took me a good day's work 
to set things in order. One evening I amused 
myself by superintending the shoeing of my 



NATIVE OPERATIONS. 



313 



bullocks; which operation was conducted in 
the following manner : — A long piece of rope 
was made fast to the horns, and the other end 
past round the animal's waist, with a turn 
round the off hind, and near fore-foot : this 
was gradually tightened, and the bullock al- 
lowed himself to be gently drawn into a sitting 
posture. Slowly his head went down, which 
was immediately sat upon by an assistant ; and 
three of his legs were tied together in a knot, 
and then the shoeing- smith proceeded to affix 
a narrow plate of iron to each portion of the 
divided hoofs — the poor animal all the time 
turning up his eyes with an air of helpless 
resignation, ludicrous to witness. 

Whilst looking on at this operation, I was 
attracted by another curious native work, going 
on in my Compound. This was the re-tinning 
of my cooking-pots, which is requisite to be per- 
formed every three or four weeks in this coun- 
try. A man was squatted down before a small 
charcoal fire ; over which he held, with a pair 
of tongs, the copper vessel requiring to be 
tinned, till it was red-hot ; then, sprinkling it 
over with a few grains of powdered tin, he 
rubbed it all over with his hand, with a piece 
of rag dipped in salt. The inside was done by 



814 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



the rag being held in a pair of pincers. The 
whole process was very rapid, and the vessels 
came out looking as bright as silver. 

There was a grand fete given by the principal 
natives at Ahmednugger to celebrate the assump- 
tion of the Government of India by Queen 
Victoria ; but, by the accounts we hear, the Pro- 
clamation is very erroneously understood by most 
classes of natives. I have it from the Collector of 
a large district, that many told him they thought 
the English meant to ask pardon for their op- 
pressions ; whilst others think our judges and 
magistrates are to be replaced by natives, and 
the late holders of Enam lands nourish a hope 
of having them restored : in short, there is no 
end to the absurd blunders and expectations 
which the mere fact of a Proclamation, read in a 
manner they cannot understand, has called forth. 

There is a strong fort at Ahmednugger, 
in good repair, and garrisoned by some of the 
18th Eoyal Irish. On one side may be seen 
traces of a breach, by which the Duke of Wel- 
lington entered it ; and outside is a large tree, 
under which he is said to have breakfasted on 
the morning of the assault. One morning, I 
was sitting at my usual employments, and the 
baby playing on the carpet with his bearer, 



MISFORTUNES AMONG THE CATTLE. 315 

close to me, when suddenly the man jumped 
up, rushed through the open window into the 
verandah, tore down a piece of the trellis-work, 
and commenced violently beating on the ground. 
I could not imagine what was the matter, till, 
on approaching, I saw him destroying a large 
snake, which was just outside, within two yards 
of the baby. It was red on the back, and white un- 
derneath, and the man said was very venomous. 

The four-footed portion of my establish- 
ment did not prosper at Ahmednugger. My 
horse was for long unwell with a cough ; and 
one clay baby's pretty little pony, w T ho had 
marched in safety all these long miles from 
Dharwar, incautiously ventured to approach 
some green meal, which the bullocks were 
eating ; when the smaller of the two, who has 
always been vicious and spiteful, ran at the 
poor little tattoo, and ripped up his side. It 
was immediately sewn up and bandaged; and 
I placed it under the care of a native doctor, 
who applied poultices of leaves and strange 
looking salves, and gave hopes of its ultimate 
recovery. The very day of this accident, a 
pet sheep we had long had got into the stable, 
where she was seized and shaken by the horse ; 
and afterwards so badly kicked, that she did 



316 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



not long survive, and left a little orphan black 
lamb to the care of the goat. 

At last, on this day, December 15th, I heard 
of my husband's arrival at Mhow, after a 
tedious and most fatiguing march, going some 
days as much as forty-five miles. His travels 
were by no means over, as the troop seemed 
as far off as ever, but in the mean time he gave 
me permission to follow him to Mhow as soon 
as I could, (whence the communication with the 
field forces is much easier than here,) leaving 
the route entirely to me. I was delighted at 
the prospect of getting even so much nearer 
to him, but much perplexed how to choose the 
best manner of going. My inclinations rather 
pointed to the Aurengabad road, principally 
from the hope of seeing the caves of Ellora 
and Ajunta ; but there was no doubt that the 
journey through the Kohilla country was rather 
a risk for a lady alone, and unarmed. How- 
ever, I applied for escort, and introductions at 
the different Stations, thinking to start in about 
a week. In the evening I dined out for the 
first time since I had been at Ahmednugger, 

and amongst the company met with Dr. S , 

the Inspector- General of hospitals in the Bom- 
bay Presidency, who, with his wife and her 



PREPARE FOR ANOTHER JOURNEY. 317 

brother, (a young officer on sick leave,) was 
passing through Ahmednugger on his tour of 
inspections. They heard my story, and com- 
passionating my solitary position, most kindly 
offered to escort me as far as Dhoolia, if I 
would consent to going that way, and if I could 
be ready to start on the next morning but one. 
The offer was too good to be refused, so I 
determined to see what energy and a deter- 
mined will could accomplish, even with native 
servants, the greatest difficulty being to procure 
carriage, which generally requires bespeaking 
for several days before it is wanted. 

Thursday, December 16. 

I sat up the greater part of the night, 
writing letters for the English Mail, and 
making arrangements, (which were all carried 
out in the course of the day,) for the sale of my 
few articles of furniture, the purchase of bul- 
locks, and hire of carts and tattoos, besides 
getting rid of my bungalow, hiring and fright- 
ening refractory servants, as some of mine were 
sick, and some refused, as usual, to go ; I also 
had to provide for the tending of the poor little 
sick pony, and to see to the packing of all my 
things. By hard work this was all accom- 



318 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



plished in the course of the day, and in the 
evening I went down to dine and sleep at the 

F s\ After dinner we all walked up to my 

house, and found the native servants and 
garywallahs all sitting down talking, and doing 
nothing, while boxes and parcels strewed 
the ground in every direction. Thanks to 

Dr. F 's energy, they were soon roused, 

and the packing of the carts and tattoos was 
finished by ten o'clock p.m. when they were 
despatched on their first day's march. 

Friday, December 17. 

I sent off the gary with baby and his 
attendants early, and then mounting my horse 
I rode to the Post-office, and had the happiness 
of receiving one English letter, and then, 
joining my kind friends, Dr. S— — and his 
brother-in-law, rode with them sixteen miles to 
Singwa, the first bungalow on the Malligaum- 
road, which is prettily situated in a grove of 
fine tamarind trees on the banks of a nullah. 
The road was ugly enough, over an arid plain, 
relieved in one part by the descent of a pictur- 
esque Ghaut. The rest of the party, consisting 

of Mrs. S and her nice little boy of three 

years old, the ayah, and a large black Persian 



PLEASANT JOURNEY. 



319 



cat, performed the journey in a four-wheeled 
dog-cart, drawn by a pair of horses, and fitted 
with a white linen awning to keep off the sun. 
We overtook them on the top of the hill, 
something being amiss with one of the wheels, 
which will necessitate sending back the carriage 
to Ahmednugger for repairs, and it will have to 
make a forced journey to overtake us, while in 
the mean time it is fortunate that there is my 
bullock-cart for the use of the party. An even- 
ing stroll along the river bank, with tea in the 
moonlight, and some reading and working, occu- 
pied the hours pleasantly till bedtime. 

Saturday, December 18. 

We were up betimes, having a long march to 
perform. I rode my own horse the first half, 

and Mrs. S kindly lent hers to me, for the 

last part of the journey ; he is a beautiful bay 
Arab, with showy action. The road took us 
over a dreary plain, with a few arid hills in the 
distance, and is crossed at frequent intervals by 
nullahs, and by two or three rivers, which in 
the rainy season are probably considerable, but 
the water in only one of which reached to the 
horses' knees. We accomplished the distance 
to Kolar, twenty-two miles, in three hours. 



320 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



where the bungalow is a large one, standing 
near some fine trees, outside a once strong but 
now ruinous village • but the general aspect of 
the country is a mass of dust, as far as the eye 
can reach. The party in the bullock-gary 
did not get over their journey so satisfactorily, 
being six hours accomplishing it, as one of my 
newly-purchased bullocks proved a bad bargain, 
refusing to go out of a walk, and sitting down 
whenever he was beaten. The evenings and 
mornings are now very cold, and we were glad 
to take a brisk walk to warm ourselves, and to 
sit wrapped in shawls for the rest of the even- 
ing. Mrs. S has a Hindu ayah, who is 

unhappily married to a drunken worthless hus- 
band. She one day told her mistress that she 
could not believe in the goodness of the Supreme 
Being, as He permitted so many wicked people 
to live on in the world, adding, that every 
night she prayed to her god to take away her 
husband, and yet her prayers were still un- 
answered, and he lived to torment her ! 

Monday, December 20. 

We remained yesterday at Kolar, and leaving 
it at half-past six this morning, rode thirteen 
miles and a half to Kaharree, over an ugly, bare 



ENCOUNTER WITH A DEVIL. 321 

country. The made road ceased at Kolar, and 
the track to-day was in places very rough, fre- 
quently running along the bed of a stream. I 
had a pair of bullocks from one of the carts 
put into my gary to-day, and they answered 
better than the slow ones I brought from Ah- 
mednugger. Kaharree is a considerable town, 
with a Fort and palace, and is situated in a 
rather more habitable -looking spot, than most 
in this part of the country. Near the bunga- 
low, shaded by fine trees, is a large temple, 
where puss enjoyed great sport among the rats 
and mice. The clouds of dust along the road 
were very annoying to-day. During the morn- 
ing I sallied forth with my sketch-book, and 
was suddenly obliged to take to my heels, and 
beat a speedy retreat into a field, for, twirling 
and whirling in front of me, came, advancing 
with fearful rapidity — (start not, ladies and 
gentlemen) — a devil! Oh! gentle readers of 
these truthful pages, I entreat you jump not 
hastily to the conclusion that the imps of his 
Satanic Majesty stalk in bodily form through 
this benighted land, but know that, in Anglo- 
Indian parlance, a devil, is a whirlwind of dust, 
which, unless you flee from it in time, will fill 
your eyes, nose, and mouth with fine sand, 

Y 



322 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



cover every pore of your skin, and every thread 
of your clothing, and torment you little less 
than its namesake tortured the good St. An- 
thony. 

Tuesday, December 21. 

A ride of twelve miles this morning over an 
ugly country, chiefly cultivated, but in parts 
covered with a low jungle of the Babool thorn, 
brought us to Kopergaum, situated on the 
banks of the Godavery, now containing very 
little water in its wide bed. Instead of the 
Government pattern bungalow, travellers are 
here accommodated in an old palace of the 
Peishwa's, situated amongst all the native 
filth in the outskirts of the village, the interior 
vying in dirt with the outside ! The floors 
were inches thick in dust, which rose in clouds 
as we walked about them, and though a large 
building, it contained only two private rooms, 
and the one appropriated to my use was so 
pervaded with dreadful odours, that I had my 
mattress and baby's spread in the dust of the 
great common room, where we passed the 
night in the company of birds and . bats, and 
many smaller and more obnoxious animals. 
One of the gentlemen made a shooting excur- 
sion up the banks of the Godavery, which, a 



GRAVES IN THE WILDERNESS. 323 

few miles higher, he averred were very pictur- 
esque. His sport only consisted of one wild- 
duck, but we saw nights of wild geese as we 
travelled on, and frequently parties of the 
graceful little antelope or black buck trotting 
over the plain. At this place died about three 
months ago, a little child belonging to a lady I 
had seen at Ahmednugger. The parents were 
journeying from Mhow, and at that time of 
year the fever in the Sindwa jungles is most 
deadly; the poor child caught it and died 
within a fortnight, at this desolate place. We 
went in the evening to visit its grave, which is 
side by side with that of a young officer who 
died in 1839. They are buried on a little 
mound in the middle of a field overshadowed by 
a babool bush, and surrounded by a hedge of 
prickly pear ; two ugly Muhammedan- looking 
whitewashed monuments disfigure the graves of 
the soldier and the child. 

A party of native police were quartered in 
our palace, one of whom as sentry paced up and 
down all night in the court. A detachment of a 
N.I. regiment is also constantly encamped here : 
the wretched officer at present commanding it, has 
been for six months the only European in this 
abode of dirt and squalor ! We are now in the 
y 2 



824 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



country of the Bheels, those queer little people 
who carry bows and arrows, and live in holes 
in the ground, but who are nevertheless so 
fierce and warlike that military surveillance is 
necessary to keep them in tolerable order, and 
even then they periodically break out, and give 
a great deal of trouble. 

Wednesday, December 22. 

Right glad were we to leave our dirty palace 
this morning; and we cantered over sixteen 
miles and a half of good soft road to Sawurgaun, 
in two hours. A range of fine hills bounded 
the horizon ; which, becoming more distinct as 
we approached them, showed curious black hues 
of volcanic rock running straight across them 
— the level of the strata exactly correspond- 
ing in each hill, with the one next to it. 
Little conical rocks, resembling tents, surmount 
several of the summits ; and there are four forts, 
crowning different hills, called Nunky, Tunky, 
Allock, and Pallock— this sort of alliteration 
being very common among the Indian names. 

We passed through a considerable town to- 
day, called Yewla, where a large silk-weaving 
manufactory is carried on. The silk is not 
grown in this neighbourhood, but imported from 



SILK MANUFACTORY. 



325 



Bombay; whither, when woven, it is returned 
for sale. It seems so curious, that, instead of 
the weavers establishing themselves near a 
depot of raw material, the article should be 
transported all the way to this distant place, 
(to which there is no road, and, in conse- 
quence, during the rainy season the track is 
frequently impassable,) to be manufactured. 
The yoke of my gary was broken to-day— 
and the bullocks lost their shoes — which neces- 
sitated sending back to Yewla for assistance ; 
as the village, near which the small dirty bun- 
galow is situated, is a very poor place, where 
we have difficulty even in procuring firewood 
for cooking, and forage for the horses and 
cattle. 

Thursday, December 23. 

I awoke at some small hour in the middle of 
the night ; and, getting up and dressing, called 
the servants, and started off the baby and his 
attendants in the gary, as we had a very long 
double march to perform. I then lay down till 
the rest of the party were stirring; and we 
started about six. The road — or, rather, track 
— was execrable, full of holes and rocks ; and 
led between two of the hills, which, crowned by 
natural walls of black rock, scarped to the 



326 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



very summits, were surmounted by forts, per- 
fectly impregnable to any assault, except by 
shelling the interior. It was here that, a few 
months ago, one of our field forces got en- 
tangled in the jungle, and suffered a repulse at 
the hands of the Bheels ; when one officer was 
killed, and another wounded. The bases of 
the hills are covered by a very picturesque 
jungle of the large bushy cactus, covered with 
interlacing creepers. A few miles along a narrow 
track, among the masses of rock and bushes, 
brought us to the bungalow at Munmar, where 
we found our relay of horses. There are works 
in progress here for the line of railway intended 
to connect Bombay with Central India ; which, 
when completed, will, no doubt, tend to civilize 
this wild tract of country. There are pickets 
of police and native troops posted in every 
direction, and a troop of sowars was encamped 
at Munmar. 

Mounting our fresh steeds, we rode the 
next stage to Julgaum; in all, twenty-three 
miles from our last sleeping-place. The 
path was through a wild hill-country — uncul- 
tivated, and apparently uninhabited — as far as 
the eye could reach; though, doubtless, con- 
taining many a tribe of marauding Bheels, as 



ARRIVE AT MALLIGAUM. 327 

wild as the bears and tigers, who share the 
jungle with them. We ascended one of the 
rocky ridges, and descending a steep and abo- 
minable road on the other side, reached the 
bungalow of our destination ; which, though 
Small and hot, was a trifle cleaner than usual. 
The village near was a mere cluster of mud 
huts, of the most wretched description, where 
we were fortunate in procuring a little milk — 
no eggs or other articles of food being procur- 
able ; but of this we were independent — car- 
rying every thing with us— like all travellers in 
the wilds of India. On the outside of all the 
villages may be seen large enclosures, formed 
by thick, high fences, of dead thorny bushes, 
into which the cattle are driven at night, to 
preserve them from the attacks of wild beasts. 

Friday, December 24. 

We rode twelve miles into* the Station of 
Malligaum this morning over a jungly plain. 
There are plenty of trees, which make the place 
look green and pretty, and on all sides a dis- 
tant view of picturesque hills. A fine old Fort 
is situated near the native town ; in the intri- 
cacies of which we found ourselves entangled, 
when endeavouring to find the Travellers' Bun™ 



328 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



galow. We had a wide river to ford — which is 
crossed by the Grand Trunk road from Bom- 
bay, by two handsome bridges — one consisting 
of twenty arches. The Dak Bungalow is very 
dirty and hot ; and one room was occupied by 
an officer coming down from Mhow, who in- 
formed me that the road thither was guarded by 
outposts of our troops the whole way. I found 
no letters here from my husband, as I expected, 
but received much civility from one of his 
brother officers, who is quartered at this Station ; 
and who, though a perfect stranger to both of 
us, sent to offer every assistance in his power 
to help me on my journey. 

I had not been feeling quite well for a day or 
two ; and this evening, on our return from 
a stroll, I was seized with shiverings, and 
went to bed ? feeling thoroughly ill. I had 
given my Portuguese ayah leave to go to 
the midnight mass at the Eoman Catholic 
Chapel ; and she and the other Portuguese 
servants set off about eleven o'clock. When 
baby awoke, he missed his accustomed nurse ; 
and, to pacify him, I had to get up, and 
walk about for most of the night, which was 
bitterly cold. The ayah came back for a 
short time once in the night, saying no priest 



PORTUGUESE DEVOTEES. 329 



had arrived to perform the service ; but, to- 
wards daybreak, she set forth again, and was 
again disappointed. The question occurred to 
me, whether any of us, who think ourselves so 
enlightened, would in simple faith have taken 
the trouble these poor half-heathen Portuguese 
did, to perform what they considered an ac- 
ceptable act of worship. 



330 LIFE IN INDIA. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

SEIZED WITH ILLNESS — COMPELLED TO TEAVEL EN A 

PALKEE DIFFICULTIES ABOUT BEARERS SOLITAEY 

JOURNEY — PASSAGE OF THE TAPTEE — UNHEALTHY 

JUNGLES OUTPOSTS KIND RECEPTION — CROSS THE 

NERBUDDA ARRIYE AT MHOW. 

Saturday — Christmas-day. 

There is a pretty little church at Malligaum, 
where we attended the morning service ; but it is 
very small, and the larger portion of the troops 
had to remain outside in the porch. There 
was no second service. I felt very unwell all 
day ; and at this season the thoughts of home 
depressed me much — thus isolated from all I 
love, in a strange land. 

Friday, December 31. 

On Sunday, after attending morning service 
in the church, I was suddenly seized with severe 
inflammation in my side, and excruciating pain, 
as of a knife sticking into me, accompanied by 
great oppression of the breath. Mild remedies 
having no effect, the next day I was severely 
leeched and blistered ; but the pain was very 



SEVERE ILLNESS. 



331 



little abated, and I could not turn or move 
without assistance. I was most fortunate to 

be under the care of Dr. S , whose ability 

was equal to his kindness ; and he and his ex- 
cellent wife nursed and tended me, as if I had 
been their own relation. We had removed on 
the afternoon of Christmas Day, from the dirty, 
unhealthy Travellers' Bungalow, to an empty 
one in the Station, which was lent to Dr. S — — 
for a few days ; but, unfortunately for me, my 
bedroom was only separated from the sitting- 
room by a screen — and, in my state of weakness 
and fever, this was very trying. Dr. S — — 
kindly arranged to stay as long as I was unfit 
to be moved; and, as mounting my horse 
would be out of the question for a long time, 
he bought a palhee for me, which was luckily 
for sale in the Station. The greatest difficulty 
is in procuring bearers, as they have been car- 
ried off from all parts of the country to be at- 
tached to the army, to carry the sick and 
wounded, and there are none to be had here. 
I am, however, promised to be lent some by 
the Commissariat officer, as far as Dhoolia. 
I had the happiness to-day of at last hearing 
from my husband ; who was still endeavouring 
to catch his troop, and was then (the 14th) 



332 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



traversing the country alone, mounted on a 
camel, having outstripped all his servants and 
camp equipage. Hearing from him that posi- 
tively no furniture is to be had at Mhow, I 
determined on buying the absolutely necessary 
articles here of a gentleman who is selling his, 
previously to his departure ; and accordingly, in 
my sick-bed, marked a list of the things most 
wanted, and had an extra cart loaded with 
them. I was able to sit up a little this even- 
ing ; but the soreness of my side is very pain- 
ful — and I dread the journey, which is to be 
begun again to-morrow. 

Saturday, January 1, 1859. 

In pain and restlessness I took leave of 
the old year, hoping that the new one, which 
begins so unpropitiously, may be more blessed 
in its continuance. I was glad to receive 

the news this morning that L 's long chase 

was over, and that he had joined Colonel 
Somerset's division, in the field, not very far 
from Jowrah, on the 16th, but he had received 
none of my letters since November 29th, which 
was a source of great annoyance. Some dliooly- 
bearers arrived to carry my palhee, and about 
eight o'clock I was lifted into it, and bore the 



TRAVEL IN A PALKEE. 



333 



motion better than I expected, though it is a 
wearying way of travelling, and actually took 
three hours to perform the short stage of eight 
miles to Chicalwal. I felt stronger to-day, and 
was able to sit up a little, and I discovered that 
the plaister of plantain leaves which had been 
applied to cool the wound on my side, had had 
a contrary effect, and drawn a second blister, 
which occasioned the torture I had been suffer- 
ing the last few days. I had been unable to 
sit up and attend to myself, and my ayah had 
never discovered this. Such is the stupidity of 
native servants. 

Sunday, January 2. 

We journeyed twelve miles this morning, to 
a place called Arvee. The country, during 
both days' travel, has been entirely desolate and 
uncultivated ; a wide, wide plain of sand, scat- 
tered over with low bushes, with here and there 
low conical hills rising up like gigantic tents 
to break the monotony. No living thing could 
be seen for miles and miles, except the almost 
continuous stream of carts and pack animals 
along the one broad road, carrying materiel to 
the front, for the use of the army. There are 
plenty of wild beasts in these wastes, but they 
keep concealed in their lairs by day, but afford 



334 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



excellent sport to the adventurous sportsmen 
who take the trouble of pursuing them. Half- 
way in our stage to-day a road branched off to 
Asseerghur, and there was a native halting- 
place, a well, a mosque, two or three stunted 
trees, a sort of stable for men or horses, and 
enclosures, well bushed round, for cattle. 

Arvee is situated at the foot of some grand 
and wild-looking abrupt hills, and there are 
some splendid banyan trees near the bungalow. 
The native village is a very wretched-looking 
one, but strongly walled, and there is a large 
durmsala, or shed, to accommodate native 
travellers. 

Monday, January 3. 

On, on again, through the wilderness, winding 
through the intricacies of the really magnificent 
hills, and emerging on another plain on the 
other side, still covered with the never- varying 
sand and bushes. In places we descended to 
the banks of small streams, where better vege- 
tation flourished, and the eye was relieved by 
an occasional palm, and perhaps a few blades 
of green grass. A little cultivation and some 
greener trees appeared as we approached the 
small station of Dhoolia, which, though flat, is 
well planted, and has rather a pretty appear- 



STATION OF DHOOLIA. 



335 



ance. We had a small bungalow lent to us 
here, for a few days, which was dirty and 
wretched enough, but the travellers' bungalow 
was crowded by poor invalid soldiers sent down 
from the army, and was in a most filthy state. 
It is very shameful of Government to provide 
no other accommodation for sick soldiers than 
the ordinary dak bungalows, which afford them 
very insufficient shelter, while the public are 
deprived of the customary resting-places. 

Captain W arrived on his way to join my 

husband, and was most kind and indefatigable 
all day in his exertions to procure me bearers 
for my onward journey, and also to provision 
my palhee for the wilderness across which I 
had to travel ; and, furthermore, in making 
arrangements for me all along the road, at my 
different halting-places ; for my kind friends the 

S s go no farther than this place, and my 

subsequent journey will be entirely solitary, 
through the lonely jungles which separate this 
Station from Mhow. 

Saturday, January 8. 

The last five days have been spent in Dhoolia 
in a state of great weakness and pain, and at 
times almost of despair of being able to continue 
my journey. However, thanks to the exertions 



336 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



of my kind friend Captain W- , last night a 

set of bearers for my palkee were brought in from 
some distant village; and having despatched 
my carts, servants, and cattle, some days ago, 
I prepared for a start, though in truth little fit 
for such an expedition, but there was no alter- 
native ; the S — — s were on the eve of their 
departure for Bombay, and the house we lived 
in must be given up to its owners, so that 
literally there was no place for me to lay my 
head, and the doctor considered that with care, 
and proper precautions, I might get through 
my solitary journey without danger. Ac- 
cordingly this morning, at half-past five, after 
taking a cup of tea, I bade adieu to my kind 
friends, and entering my palhee, which was 
arranged with mattresses and pillows, and 
packed with stores of preserved soups, biscuits, 
&c, set forth, accompanied by a sowar of the 
Poona Irregular Horse, who was changed at 
each stage. The dress of these men is very 
handsome, consisting of a green cloth native 
tunic, bound with yellow lace in a circular form 
on the breast, and corded at the edge and 
seams with red ; tight trousers of the same 
colour, thrust into long jack-boots, with brass 
spurs. The tunic is open at the sides, showing 



COSTUME OF THE POONA HORSE. 337 

the white muslin shirt, always worn by natives 
over the trousers. The head is covered by a 
jaunty little red puggree (or turban) very much 
on one side, with one end hanging down 
behind. The sowar is armed with a small 
rounded sword in a leathern scabbard, and a 
carbine, slung across the right shoulder ; a red 
cummerbund (or sash), and a black leather 
pouch-belt complete his accoutrements. His 
horse has a native saddle covered with red 
cloth, a red and green shabrac, a head collar 
and crupper of plaited red and green cloth, a 
plain snaffle bridle, and his head is tied down 
by a native martingale made of a thick red 
scarf, knotted under his chin. 

Baby left Dhoolia shortly after me, but 
my bearers carried me faster than the bul- 
locks trotted, so that I arrived first at a small 
bungalow at Songhiera, where, after the arrival 
of the gary, we breakfasted, and spent the 
hot hours of the day. The road thus far 
was all through wild jungle, though not thick, 
but I can well believe the difficulty of pur- 
suing a flying enemy in such a country, where 
each bush affords covert, and the whole 
country as far as the eye can reach is dotted 
with bushes precisely alike, so that marking 

z 



338 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



down a particular spot is almost impossible. 
There is a wall to the village at Songhiera, 
with a few cultivated fields around it, and 
the bungalow is close to the base of two or 
three abrupt hills, which here rise out of the 
plain, and one of which is crowned by a Fort. 
I started again about three in the afternoon, 
and descending into another plain of black soil, 
found the fine made road entirely come to an 
end, and I arrived just at dark at a clean little 
bungalow at Nuldana, where I spent the night, 
my soivar and his horse both sleeping at my 
door. I felt none the worse for the journey ; 
on the contrary, the hope that I was really 
getting nearer to my husband, or at any rate to 
a place where we could hear of one another, 
combined with the fresh air of the jungle, 
seemed to revive and strengthen me to bear the 
fatigue. 

Sunday, January 9. 

I awoke and started some time before day- 
light. Having no watch, one soon learns to 
measure time by the sun and moon. My way 
lay over a cultivated plain to the banks of the 
Tapti, even at this season a considerable river, 
and here I waited for the gary, not fancying 
being carried through deep water in my palkee. 



INVALID SOLDIERS. 



339 



On the arrival of my cart and gary, I had 
every thing taken out, and carried across the 
river on Coolies' heads. It was amusing to see 
the struggles of the poor goat, alarmed at the 
novelty of her position. She usually travelled 
inside my tub, on the top of the cart which 
accompanied me, with the cook, and provisions. 
I got into the gary myself, tucking my feet 
up on the seat, a precaution by no means un- 
necessary, as the water filled the bottom in a 
manner decidedly unpleasant. A few miles on 
the other side of the river is situated the town 
of Seerpore, a large depot of the bullock-train 
establishment, and where now there is a de- 
tachment of infantry and irregular cavalry. 

I found at the bungalow several carts full of 
poor invalid soldiers, in very miserable plight, 
having no commissariat with them. I gave 
them what I could from my small store — broth, 
soda-water, and a piece of broiled chicken — for 
which they were very grateful. Several of 
them were suffering from dysentery and fever, 
in an apparently sinking state, and there they 
lay all day in their carts, with no protection 
from the sun, except a thin mat over the top; 
whilst, with the usual thoughtless folly of the 
British soldier, those who were well enough to 
z 2 



340 



LIFE IX INDIA. 



walk about, lounged in the sun with unpro- 
tected heads, and I have no doubt the advice 
I gave them was entirely thrown away. I 
was accosted here by a gentleman travelling 
up to Indore, who had known my husband, 
and he told me of the report that an action had 
been fought with the rebels on the 2nd January, 
but he knew 7 no particulars. 

I left Seerpore at two o'clock, and passing 
through the town, which is placed on a 
very steep bank, and must, when its forti- 
fications were complete (if that time ever 
was), have been a very strong place, emerged 
on the jungle, which is thick but by no 
means pretty, composed principally of large 
bushes, mostly deciduous, so that the general 
aspect of the country is dust-coloured. Here 
and there, crossing a stream, the eye is re- 
lieved by patches of bright green, and there 
are groups of fine trees scattered at intervals. 
I remember one spot of great loveliness, where, 
from the branches of some giant of the forest, 
there hung down a splendid copper-coloured 
creeper, almost touching the water of a deep, 
still pool, where a white paddy-bird was silently 
washing himself ; but such scenes are quite ex- 
ceptions to the dull monotony of the greater part 



JUNGLE FEVER. 



341 



of this jungle. On we went, without a human 
sight or sound, except meeting occasionally long 
trains of carts, some coming from the interior, 
being very large and slung all round with boxes of 
opium, and drawn by ten bullocks, and now and 
then a patrol of Poona Horse. We passed the 
ruins of two Forts, standing quite alone in the 
wilderness. Truly, even the scanty supplies 
necessary to natives must always have been 
difficult to procure in these lonely forests. At 
nightfall we stopped for a few moments outside 
a small walled village called Sanglee, and then 
two dreary hours' march through the darkness, 
brought us to the little jungle bungalow of Palas- 
neer — very small, very cold, and very dirty, and, 
in the season for the fever, the most unhealthy 
spot along the road. Dismal but o'er true tales 
are told of the deadly fever peculiar to these 
jungles, and which is so malignant that a 
general order exists forbidding the passage of 
troops through them till the month of February, 
when the damps of the monsoon are supposed 
to be dried. The comparatively quick transport 
by bullock-trains, now enables people to pass 
with tolerable safety at any time of year. One 
poor officer, before the establishment of the 
transport-train, set out from Mhow to go to 



342 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Bombay, with his wife and child, in the un- 
healthy season ; and sad to relate, not one 
survived : they all died, one after another, in 
the jungle, and this is one instance out of many 
of .the deadly influence of the jungle fever. 
The bungalow at Palasneer stands in a clearing, 
and is perfectly isolated, except from some 
newly- erected sheds for the transport cattle, 
round which the bylewallahs light numerous 
fires at night to keep off the wild beasts, and 
themselves keep up the most unearthly noises, 
enough to alarm a nervous person. 

Monday, January 10. 

I had been warned so repeatedly of the ex- 
ceeding badness of the road I was to expect 
to-day, that I waited for the daylight to com- 
mence my march, but found the difficulties had 
been much exaggerated — the road being very 
fair throughout, for an Indian one. We soon 
neared the Sindwa Ghaut — a picturesque line 
of hills we had been approaching all yester- 
day. The ascent is very gradual, and com- 
mands no fine views. A square Fort on the 
top commands the road ; but its gate has been 
removed. As usual, there is no descent on the 
other side of the Ghaut ; but the road continues 



PASS THROUGH THE OUTPOSTS. 343 

across an undulating jungle, thick in long dry 
grass, till one arrives at the large strong Fort 
of Sindwa, where are now quartered some Bom- 
bay artillery, irregular horse, and some of the 
30th B. N. I. The bungalow was partly oc- 
cupied by the officer commanding, who had 
been led to expect my arrival, and was very 
kind in providing me with breakfast, my cook's 
cart having broken down, and consequently 
being very late in arriving. In return, he was 
very glad to be presented with a little writing- 
paper — no supplies being procurable here. He 
described his life as lonely enough ; but the 
shooting affords excellent sport. Bears and 
tigers abound quite close to the camp, and may 
be shot as easily as rabbits in England. There 
are some palm-trees at Sindwa ; and, with the 
white tents of the encampment, it is rather a 
pretty place : but I am thoroughly disappointed 
to find these jungles so entirely ugly and unin- 
teresting ; so different from the bright and beau- 
tiful scenery of the western jungles, with their 
graceful bamboos and palms. I left Sindwa at 
three o'clock, and had a long march to Jul- 
wana, another isolated bungalow, where nothing 
but water is procurable. It was late when 
we arrived ; and the cook's cart having again 



344 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



come to grief, baby and I had long to wait for 
the simple mess of arrowroot, which constituted 
our evening meal. The bungalow was very 
dirty and cold; and had a large fireplace, 
which, in the absence of fuel, brought much of 
cold wind down the chimney. I found here 
waiting my arrival a second set of bearers for 

my palkee, sent from Mhow by Captain W . 

I sent them back one stage to be ready to take 
me on to-morrow afternoon. 

Tuesday, January 11. 

I left Julwana at dawn; and had a long 
stage through the same uninteresting jungle to 
Korampoora, a little bungalow, perched on a 
rock near the road, where I found a large party 
of travellers, who, however, gave me up a small 
dirty room to breakfast and dress in. They 
were refugees from Saugur; where they had 
been shut up for seven months during the 
rebellion, and were travelling under the escort 
of a large party of horse. My solitary journey 
seems to fill every one with surprise ; but not 
a day passes without my meeting with kind- 
ness from some one. To-day a gentleman, 
travelling in a gary, stopped, saying he had 
been told to look out for me, and to offer me 



TELEGRAPH THROUGH THE JUNGLE. 345 

any assistance, and I sent a letter by him into 
Mhow. Within a few miles of Julwana, Tantia 
Topee crossed the road six weeks ago with his 
whole army, previous to his demonstration 
towards Oodeypoor. He carried off all the 
bullocks belonging to the transport- train, cut 
the telegraph-wire, and plundered the mail- 
cart which happened to be passing. It was in 
vain that I looked for some traces of his route. 
I could perceive no cross-road; and it seems 
perfectly marvellous that he should have been 
able to carry his elephants and guns through 
the rough jungle, without any beaten path. 

I think one of the most wonderful instances 
of our moral power in this country is the exist- 
ence, through hundreds of miles of wildest 
jungle, of that solitary telegraph-wire, which, 
even during the mutiny, was only cut four or 
five times. There are small sheds at intervals 
along the line for the shelter of those (natives) 
employed to look after it. I left Korampoora at 
two o'clock p.m., having discharged my first 
set of palkee bearers, and being carried by those 
belonging to Mhow. The costume of this class 
of people is curious. They wind yards, and 
yards, and yards, of cloth round their chests ; 
and, over all, strap a thick blanket on their 



346 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



backs— leaving the rest of their bodies bare, 
except their heads — which are tied up, as if 
they were suffering from toothache. They wear 
wooden sandals, with a large ring to fit the 
great toe — to which a strap is attached — which, 
with another between the little and fourth toe, 
joins a broad leathern band across the instep, 
fastened with a brass latchet. These sandals 
are more often carried in the hand than worn 
on the feet. My second set of bearers were by 
no means so good as the first ; but then I had 
only twelve, whereas the first set was com- 
posed of sixteen ; and whenever we passed 
through any stream, they invariably set me 
down, that they might indulge in that great 
luxury of all natives — cleaning their teeth! 
The jungle became less thick as we journeyed 
on — with here and there a village, and patch 
of cultivation — while, in the distance, a long 
line of Ghauts, pink and blue, in the rays of the 
evening sun, enlivened the landscape. It is 
delightful to think that my journey's end lies 
only sixteen miles from the top of those Ghauts ; 
for this travelling for ten hours a day, even in 
a palkee, is a great fatigue, especially to one so 
weak as I am. I live entirely in the palkee — 
only just getting out to bathe and dress. I 



PASSAGE OF THE NERBUDDA. 347 

take no food, except my morning cup of tea, a 
basin of soup before I start in the afternoon, 
and a little arrowroot at night, whilst my mat- 
tress is being removed from the palhee to the 
cot in the bungalow. This evening I reached 
Kull soon after dark — a great depot of the 
bullock- train on the banks of the Nerbudda, 
and also an important military post. Here I 
found a letter informing me that there was no 
vacant bungalow at Mhow, but that Captain 

W had taken possession for me, of one 

belonging to our old friend Colonel P , 

now in the field. 

Wednesday, January 12. 

I began my journey by the passage of the 
Nerbudda — which was a very disagreeable one 
— and I took baby with me in the palhee — 
thinking, on the whole, we were safer than in 
the gary. First the bearers waded through 
some shallow water ; from which we ascended 
a fragile temporary bridge, composed of bamboo 
piles, with sticks and mud laid on them to form 
a narrow road — underneath which the rapid 
torrent rushed and roared, and threatened each 
moment to sweep the whole frail fabric away. 
This bridge took us to a sand-bank— now dry 
— in the middle of the stream, connected by 



348 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



another similar bridge, with a bund, or quay, 
built out in a semicircle from the opposite shore. 
This was the most alarming part of the transit ; 
for the bund was very narrow, and its edges 
only defined by low posts at intervals. The 
water reached above the men's knees, and was 
exceedingly rapid; so that one false step of 
man or beast, would have ensured our being 
instantly washed away by the roaring torrent. 
I was very thankful to find myself safe on the 
northern bank, and traversing a cultivated plain, 
quite agreeable to the eye, after the monotony 
of the jungle. This plain is bounded by a line 
of precipitous Ghauts ; at whose base lies the 
clean little bungalow of Goojree, where I stopped 
to breakfast. The house is a new one ; the 
old bungalow having been burnt by the rebels 
— who left a further token of their visit, in the 
shape of a gallows, still standing by the road- 
side. The little village is quite alive with car- 
penters and smiths, building and repairing 
garies for the use of the transport-train. In 
the afternoon my road wound through most 
picturesque hills, covered with light jungle ; 
and, by a series of zigzags, up the ascent of 
the Kilna Ghaut — the scenery of which, when 
green, must be very lovely. Arrived at the 



TOMBS IN THE WILDERNESS. 349 

top, by some mistake my bearers lost their 
way, and took me to a wrong bungalow — being- 
one formerly used by a road-surveyor, and con- 
sisting solely of bare and dirty floors and walls. 
Here I overtook my servants, and the rest of 
my carts, cattle, &c, who had left Dhoolia 
some days before me; and being much too 
exhausted to set forth again in quest of the 
proper travellers' bungalow, I lay down in my 
palkee to spend the night, as best I could; 
though, from its shortness and narrowness, it 
by no means makes the most comfortable of 
beds. I have omitted mentioning a very strik- 
ing feature of these jungles, that, often in the 
wildest and most solitary parts, one beheld the 
white dome of a Muhammedan tomb — pro- 
ducing a feeling of wonder as to who or what 
the man could have been to have been here 
buried ; and wherever the road passed a group 
of fine trees, or a mass of rock overhanging a 
river, so surely was seen the fresh patch of red 
paint, or the small flag, showing that there the 
Hindu stopped to worship his idol gods. 

Thursday, January 13. 

I woke and started early, too delighted to 
think I was on the last stage of my journey. 



350 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



The hills were very pretty on each side of the 
road, which was gay with long trains of carts 
and country people, all armed with the primi- 
tive matchlocks still in native use. This is 
Holkar's territory, so we cannot carry out the 
Disarming Act in it. My attendant soivar now 
carries a lance, in addition to his other weapons, 
and frequently for my edification, indulges in 
furious galloping backwards and forwards, and 
other feats of horsemanship, such as natives 
delight in. Emerging from the hills, we went 
over a dusty plain, passed a native village in a 
picturesque grove of fine trees, crossed a river 
bordered with palms, and found ourselves in 
Mhow, opposite its ugly Fort, still built up with 
fascines and gabions ready for a siege, though I 
fancy rather an indefensible place. I found that 

by the kindness of Captain W every thing 

that was possible had been done to prepare for my 
arrival, though, as many of my things have 
been much broken on the journey, it will take a 
long time to get comfortably settled. The 
Station bears strong traces of the mutiny, in a 
generally ruinous and neglected look; there are 
few gardens, no hedges, and the great ram- 
bling bungalows are in very bad repair, whilst 
the blackened ruins of those that were burnt, tell 



ARRIVAL AT MHOW. 



351 



a sad tale. I received a telegram from my 
husband, to know if I was arrived and well ; 
and I hope when he gets the answer, I shall be 
able to hear from him with some degree of 
regularity, as the depot of his troop is here, 
and all communications from the field forces 
pass through Mhow. 



352 LIFE IN INDIA. 



CHAPTEE XIV. 

LIEE IN MHOW — HOT SEASON EETTTEN OE CENTRAL 

INDIA EIELD EOBCE — DIEEICULTIES ABOUT SERVANTS 

EEVEE PEEPABE TO EETUEN TO ENGLAND- — TIGEB 

SHOOTING LEA YE MHOW ENGLISH CAEEIAGE BEEAKS 

DOWN — MISEEIES OE THE JOTJENET BEAUTIEUL PASS 

— EAILWAT TO BOMBAY. 

For two months and a half I led a mono- 
tonous life in Mhow, the only excitement 
consisting in the arrival of letters from the 
field; and as these suffered frequent delays, 
there was much of heartsickening anxiety in 
my lonely life, aggravated by the continual 
reports, frequently of a contradictory nature, 
that floated about the Station, and by private 
circumstances of severe family affliction. I 
slowly and gradually recovered my health, and 
as usual, found among my fellow- sojourners in 
this strange land, not a little kindness and 
sympathy, which beguiled in pleasant society 
many a lonely hour. I found very little to 
interest me in the locality of the neighbourhood. 
Were it not for the distant outlines of fine hills, 
whose roseate tints in the morning and evening 



TIGER AND BEAR-SHOOTING. 



353 



sun are very beautiful, the country about Mhow 
might be called ugly, though it is an exact em- 
bodiment of the popular notion of an Indian 
landscape — an undulated plain, dotted with 
palm trees, most of them stunted and shabby : 
the ground, though covered with grass, was 
exceedingly bad riding — in some parts a mass 
of sharp, loose rocks, and in others full of deep 
holes; but here and there, by the banks of a 
stream, one came upon very pretty little bits of 
bright vegetation, where flocks of green parro- 
quets, blue jays, and other birds of gaudy 
plumage, enlivened the landscape. In the 
jungle on the hills, there was abundant sport for 
those fond of tiger and bear-shooting, though 
from the nature of the ground, it was only to 
be pursued on foot, which added greatly to the 
danger and the excitement; but not a week 
elapsed without some of the officers of the 72nd 
Highlanders, and others who were keen sports- 
men, bringing in trophies of their success in 
the pursuit of large game, besides those of the 
blackbuck and other smaller animals. 

The weather for some time after my arrival 
continued cool; indeed the early mornings 
were exceedingly cold, but towards the middle 
of March we had some dust-storms, and the 

a a 



354 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



temperature gradually increased. Bungalows 
were carefully shut up from sunrise to sunset, 
and by means of a cuscus tattee, or mat, fastened 
to the only open door, on the windy side, and 
kept constantly watered, it was easy to preserve 
a very agreeable coolness in the atmosphere of 
the house, and by placing the wine, beer, 
butter, &c, underneath the tattee, the absence 
of ice was not felt. 

Mhow was once a very large Station, but 
now possesses only a very limited number 
of bungalows, and being filled for the first 
time with portions of two Eoyal Eegiments 
of the Line — the 72nd and 92nd Highlanders 
— besides Eoyal Artillery, Cavalry, and parts 
of two native regiments, and subsequently the 
3rd B. Europeans, the impossibility of find- 
ing accommodation for the vast influx of 
officers and their families, caused the Station 
to be placed under military despotism, which 
forbade any house-owner to let his bungalow, 
except to the person to whom it was assigned 
by the Brigadier ; and no person was allowed to 
occupy any house, unless they belonged of 
right to the Station. As it was, there were 
numbers of officers living in tents, no slight 
hardship, during the prevalence of the hot 



DIFFICULTY IN GETTING HOUSES. 355 

winds in Central India. This military rule, 
though very necessary, occasioned much annoy- 
ance to many persons, especially to several 
poor ladies who had followed their husbands 
thus far, and, from the state of the country, were 
obliged temporarily to take up their abode in 
Mhow; and an instance occurred in which a 
lady, who, with her sister and two children, 
persisted, in spite of warnings, hi taking pos- 
session of an empty bungalow, was actually 
obliged to be turned out, to make way for the 
colonel of a regiment and his wife. 

The usual resource of building temporary 
abodes could not be had recourse to, as the 
native inhabitants of Mhow had deserted the 
place in great numbers during the mutiny, and 
no workmen were to be had, the very few 
existing, being all seized upon as Government 
labourers in the Arsenal. A good deal of the 
furniture I brought with me had got broken in 
traversing the rocky roads, and I found it 
utterly impossible to get any native carpenter ; 
and I do not know what I should have done, had 
not accidentally a discharged English soldier, 
of decidedly scampish habits, who was setting 
up as an amateur wheeler, happened to pass 
through the place. Of furniture, even of the 
a a 2 



356 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



commonest description, it was almost impossible 
to procure an article, and it was amusing when 
a regiment moved, to see the avidity with which 
three-legged chairs and rickety tables were 
bespoken. Of domestic servants there were 
none to be had, and the consequence was the 
misconduct of those one brought with one, who 
soon discovered their value ; and upon one occa- 
sion the degrading necessity was forced upon 
me, of requesting my horsekeeper to stay in my 
service, after I had discharged him in the 
morning for repeated acts of mis-behaviour, but 
I found to my dismay that if I suffered him to 
depart, I should have had to clean and feed my 
own horse ! 

Mhow was in one respect very amusing 
at this season. Being on the high road 
from the Upper Provinces to Bombay, all the 
regiments ordered home passed through the 
Station, and generally remained a few days to 
rest on their way. In this way, the 78th High- 
landers, the 64th, the 14th Dragoons, and 
several more, paid us passing visits, whilst a 
continual stream in the contrary direction was 
kept up by those ordered from Bombay to the 
front, and many were the unexpected meetings 
with old acquaintances which varied the mono- 



RAGES AND GAMES. 



357 



tony of our life in the Station. There were 
gaieties got up, too, by enterprising spirits: 
races, such as they were, to view which the 
ladies were accommodated with chairs placed 
on a platform composed of barrack tables ; and 
one day the tottering structure gave way, pre- 
cipitating a lady and her two children to the 
ground, fortunately without serious injury. 
One amusing incident was a race between a 
man and a pony, the former carrying another 
man on his back for fifty yards, whilst the pony 
had to go 100 yards. It was won easily by the 
biped. A racing mania gradually seized the 
Station, and in the early mornings, quiet gentle- 
men were to be seen trying the paces of their 
steeds, whilst steps were taken to set in order 
the ground of the old racecourse, and rebuild 
the Stand, now a ghastly ruin of the once palmy 
days of Mhow. There were also games for the 
soldiers, and several dances and theatrical per- 
formances, the latter by the soldiers, who, in 
crinoline and white muslin, were droll enough in 
the feminine parts of the performance. 

At last, on the 28th of March, I had the 
happiness of receiving my dear husband back — 
he having ridden on fifty miles in advance of 
his troop, which did not arrive in cantonments 
till April 1st, Life in Mhow, during the month 



358 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



of April, presented few points of interest. The 
weather gradually increased in heat, till, at 
last, the air became like the breath of a burning 
fiery furnace after half-past six in the morning, 
— dreadful for those who, in tents, were un- 
protected from the scorching blast. The even- 
ings, though still hot, were, to my taste, very 
delightful ; and, the moment we had dined, we 
retreated to a carpet spread on the gravel in 
front of the house, where we sat enjoying the 
lovely moonlight, till driven to our beds by the 
knowledge of the short time remaining for re- 
pose, — for extreme early rising now became 
a matter of necessity, and I was generally 
up at half-past three, and, after swallowing a 
cup of cold coffee and a biscuit, on my horse, 
long before dawn. These early rides were very 
pleasant— the air then cool and invigorating; 
but very soon after the first appearance of the 
sun's disc above the horizon, we were glad to 
beat a timely retreat. We often stopped at 
the mess-house on our return, where a feast 
of water-melons and mango-fool was very 
refreshing : then, on returning home, I gene- 
rally lay down on the bed for a couple of hours 
under the punkah, before it was time to bathe 
and dress for breakfast. Four men were kept, 
whose business it was to attend to the punkahs 



LONG HOT DAYS. 



359 



— two for the night, and two for the day — and 
we had great difficulty in procuring these peo- 
ple, owing to the scarcity of natives in Mhow 
— and some workmen of other kinds had to be 
pressed for our use by the bazaar-master. The 
punkah, at night, suspended only a few inches 
over your bed, is very charming, and obviates 
the necessity of mosquito curtains, which are 
so suffocating, as to be unbearable in really 
hot weather. By day I never liked the punkah, 
or used it, except at meals, or during illness, 
finding the cool damp induced by the tattee to 
be quite sufficient ; and during the whole hot 
weather I never experienced any languor or 
feeling of exhaustion from the heat, though I 
must own the length of time one was confined 
to the house in each day, with the difficulty of 
finding employment, was, at times, tedious. 

Two very sad events occurred about this time ; 
one, the suicide of a poor young officer, not 
long out from England, who, belonging to a 
regiment of native infantry, was attached to the 
72nd Highlanders pro tern. ; and, for want of 
bungalow accommodation, was living in a thin 
tent. The heat, and still more the excessive 
dulness and ennui, of these long, unoccupied 
days, seem to have affected his head — of which 
he became himself aware — and sending for the 



360 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Adjutant, he told him he " was not right here/' 
tapping his forehead. The Adjutant, desiring 
his native servant to watch him, left the tent to 
inform the commanding Officer; but, scarcely 
was his back turned, when the poor young 
fellow drew a pistol from under his pillow, and 
blew his brains out, though he actually sur- 
vived for two hours after ! The other death, 
which made a great sensation in the Station, 
was that of a poor officer, who had been bitten 
by his favourite dog, more than a month before, 
(the dog soon showed symptoms of hydrophobia, 
and was destroyed,) and one day the dreadful 
malady began to show itself in the unhappy 
man. He retained his consciousness perfect to 
the last; made every arrangement, and ex- 
pressed the most beautiful resignation. His 
life was prolonged for about five days; and, 
during the paroxysms of madness, his suffer- 
ings were dreadful. Every thing that could 
alleviate them was tried, without effect; and 
as the sight of liquid invariably brought on the 
spasms, it was tried to administer tea to him 
through a pipe, connected with a vessel behind 
him, but all in vain ; he gradually got weaker 
between each attack, and at length sank quite 
quietly to rest. 

My ayah left me to return to her friends— 



MISCONDUCT OF SERVANTS. 



361 



which was a great annoyance, as it was im- 
possible to get any one to replace her in Mhow ; 
and though baby did very well under the care 
of his bearer, yet, whenever we went into 
society, the finishing touches of my toilette 
devolved upon L — — , who, being unused to 
handle a lace or a pin, got into inextricable 
difficulties. It was still worse, when we were 

all seized with an attack of fever ; L first, 

—then baby, — and, lastly, myself. The former 
was delirious, and baby too ill to take notice of 
any thing ; whilst with me, the fever, though 
short, prostrated me so utterly, that I could 
scarcely do any thing for myself. 

On the 2nd of May, just as we were beginning 
to recover our strength, we received the welcome 
news from England of an exchange having been 
effected for my husband, — who had in the mean 
time obtained leave of absence, — so that we 
had to begin making arrangements for our 
journey down to Bombay. My darling horse 

was to be left for L 's successor ; and it 

was a great pang to me to part from him : our 
gary and bullocks, together with sundry tattoos, 
and our saddlery, &c, were soon snapped up; 
and, as for our furniture, our friends were 
so eager to become possessors of it, that some 



362 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



of them appeared to prefer our chairs to our 
company. Every thing, of all kinds, that we 
proposed taking home with us, had to be packed 
by my hands ; and this was no slight fatigue, 
reduced by fever as I then was. We were de- 
layed in our departure from day to day, waiting 
the arrival of a long-expected box from Eng- 
land ; and when, at last, it came, we could not 
immediately get carriage by the bullock- train, 
which was the way we intended travelling to 
Bombay. 

We purchased an old English britska, in 
which a gentleman and lady had recently tra- 
velled up the country, and had it fitted up like 
a bed, strengthened, and furnished with yokes 
for two pairs of bullocks ; hoping, in this con- 
veyance, to avoid some of the fatigue of the 
journey; — the few servants we required with our 
luggage and provisions for the road, were to 
accompany us in transport carts. The bullocks 
are changed every six miles, and you are sup- 
posed to trot along merrily. You are allowed 
to stop where you like, and to occupy as many 
days as you please on the journey. 

One evening, just before we left Mhow, we 
met an officer of the 72nd, with whom we were 
acquainted, riding out in hot haste, with his gun 



A MAN-EATING TIGER. 



363 



in his hand, having received news that one of the 
men employed as a beater in the jungle, had 
been eaten by a tiger, and that a second man 
was missing. On reaching the spot, he found 
the mangled remains of the first poor wretch ; 
but was unable to find any traces of the other. 
Being satisfied that the tiger had fully gorged 

himself on his horrid repast, Mr. B lay 

down under a tree to sleep, and next day re- 
sumed his search, during the course of which 
he was pursued by a bear, who kept circling 
round him whilst he was endeavouring to 
load his gun. This, at last, he succeeded in 
doing ; and first blinded, and then, by a second 
shot, killed the bear. One of the tigers, who 
is supposed to have killed these men, is what 
is called a man-eater. Having once got the 
taste for human food, they are always intent 
on gratifying it; and this year he has taken 
nine men out of one village ; the inhabitants 
of which are obliged to shut their gates, and 
light fires outside the walls every night. 

Monday, May 16, 1859. 

I took my last ride on my dear old horse, 
and cut a lock of silken hair from his mane and 
tail. The morning was spent in sending off the 



364 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



last remaining articles of furniture which we 
had kept to use until the end, and in packing 
and arranging our carriage, and the five carts 
which were to accompany us, with our servants 
and baggage ; and after an early dinner with our 
friends at the mess, we started about six in the 
evening, heading the procession in our carriage - 
and-four (bullocks) ; and winding slowly through 
the Station, past the band stand, from whence 
many friendly hands were waved to us, we 
went on tediously into the jungle, amid the 
darkness of night. Our bed in the carriage by 
no means turned out so comfortable as it had 
promised to be, the heat and dust also were 
very great, and it was impossible to sleep for 
more than a few minutes at a time. The road 
was very rough, and once the driver took us 
down a steep bank, and nearly upset us, whilst 
two of our carts broke down during the night, 
and we had to wait a couple of hours, till 
others were procured from the nearest Station, 
so that, by half-past six a.m. we found our- 
selves only twenty-four miles on our road, at 
Goojree. The scenery was just as parched and 
brown as during my former journey, but I felt 
too tired to raise my head to admire any beau- 
ties of nature. 



START BY THE BULLOCK-TRAIN. 



365 



Tuesday, May 17, 

Right glad were we to get a bath and break- 
fast this morning, but the heat of the little 
bungalow where we passed the day is not to be 
described : no punkah, and no means of putting 
up the tattee we had brought with us, in the 
vain hope of using it on the road, a little room 
ten feet square, very low, and a burning wind 
blowing in, which made the very plates and 
glasses burning to the touch. Baby's servant 
had been obliged to be left behind, and having 
no ayah, he was now wholly on my hands, and 
after washing and dressing him, and attending 
to his food, I had to play with him all day, or 
walk up and down to hush him to sleep, leaving 
no leisure for my own repose. He was natu- 
rally much oppressed at the transition from our 
cool house to this fiery atmosphere, and scarcely 
left my arms all day. Our little prison-house 
was tolerably clean, though swarming with ants; 
the whole furniture consisted of one table and 
three chairs, one of which was without legs, 
another minus a back, and the third bottom- 
less ! There was no place of shelter for our 
carriage, which therefore was exposed all day 
to the burning sun, and we saw with anxiety 
that one of the tires of the wheels had got 
loose from the contraction of the wood. 



366 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Wednesday, May IS. 

We left Goojree at half-past five p.m. yester- 
day, and after passing through a bad nullah. 
where one of our carts upset, and bottles of 
wine, &c, were broken, we trotted on merrily, 
and were in hopes of acconipKshing a long dis- 
tance during the night ; but, alas ! such hopes 
proved vain. We had proceeded for about nine 
miles, when suddenly off came the tire of one 
of the wheels of our carriage, reducing us to a 
stand-still. All that could be clone was to send 
on to Kull, on the other side of the Nerbudda 
for assistance, and to endeavour meantime to 
get a little sleep. About one a.m. some work- 
men arrived to see about repairing the carriage, 
(as, fortunately, Kull is a large depot belonging 
to the transport-train,) and brought with them 
a country cart to convey us to the bungalow. 
The smallness of these vehicles can scarcely be 
conceived, and it was difficult to wedge us, and 
the baby, and all our parcels in, and I shall 
long remember the jolting of that drive, during 
which my head shook off the mattress, and 
finally hung out behind, till I had a lively com- 
passion for poor little calves, whom I have seen 
in a similar position going to market at home ! 
Two hours of this misery brought us to the 



CARRIAGE FALLS TO PIECES. 



367 



banks of the Nerbudda, now containing very 
little water ; and on arriving at the bungalow, 
we threw ourselves on the cot, and tried to rest. 
In the course of the morning the carriage 
arrived, all the wheels being shrunk by the 
heat, but the traffic manager, a very civil 
Enghshman, undertook to make it all secure 
during the day. 

Thursday, May 19. 

We left Kull at five last evening, the heat 
being suffocating, but a heavy thunderstorm 
rolled over in the distance, and as the moon rose 
the air became cooler. We travelled on till ten 
this morning, and during the whole seventeen 
hours, baby preserved the greatest serenity. 
The road was execrable, over large unbroken 
masses of rock, and we noticed several times 
in the night a strange rumbling noise about the 
carriage, and just as we drove up to the bunga- 
low at Sindwa, where we intended to pass the 
day, with a crash our luxurious britska broke to 
pieces, and upon examination by the traffic 
manager, another most civil person, proved so 
utterly smashed, and incapable of being mended, 
that we shall have to abandon it here, and 
proceed on in country carts, thankful that the 
crash occurred at a Station, as in the jungle we 



368 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



should have been exposed to the fearful rays of 
the sun without shelter. Our carts had upset 
in the night, and staved behind, and had it not 
been for the kindness of some travellers with 
whom we were slightly acquainted, and who 
had preceded us by a few hours, we should 
have lacked breakfast. The bungalow at Sind- 
wa is the most filthy place I ever was in— mud 
floors, swarming with vermin, on which we had 
to spread our carpets and mattresses and lie 
down, for chairs were an unknown luxury. I 
never felt, or indeed was, so dirty in my life, 
and oh! the streaming heat! although this 
house was cooler than our last resting place. 
To add to my misery, I suffered from prickly 
heat, and had to keep my head constantly wet- 
ted. Our poor goat, who had been such a 
comfort on all our journeys, was hurt when 
its cart was upset last night, and is obliged to 
be left behind. 

Friday, May 20. 

We left Sindwa at half-past five p.m. yes- 
terday, L in one cart, and baby and I in 

another. They are the common springless 
carts of the country, partly filled with hay, over 
which our mattresses were spread, and bags and 
boxes inserted in every crevice. They are 



NATIVE CARTS. 



369 



roofed with matting, over which a thick blanket 
was bound, as a slight protection from the heat : 
mine, having matting along the sides and back 
to keep things from falling out, was considered 
a superior article, but, en revanche, the matting 
scratched one dreadfully. My cart inclined a 
good deal towards the rear, besides being 
always on one side, owing to my outweighing 
baby. The jolting over the rocky roads full of 
deep holes is wholly beyond my powers of 
description ; I was frequently obliged to hold on 
with both hands, and had to wedge in baby 
between the boxes, and even then he was fre- 
quently tossed into the air, and when I dozed 
for a few moments I had great fears of his 
jolting out. We were both of us covered with 
black and blue bruises, and sore places, from 
rubbing against the sides of the cart. At each 
changing place the drivers had a trick of letting 
down the end of the pole with a jerk, and one 
found oneself at an angle of forty-five degrees, 
head downwards. My pole was also in a very 
rickety condition, and broke once on the road. 

We arrived, after a most wretched journey, at 
Seerpoor at six o'clock a.m., and in an evil hour 
were induced to proceed about eight miles far- 
ther to a new bungalow on the banks of the 

b b 



370 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Taptee, recently erected for the accommodation 
of troops. It was tolerably clean, though with 
dust floors, and had the unusual luxury of 
chairs and a table, but it was built of wood, 
and the doors and windows were very far from 
fitting, and I never can forget the burning 
wind that blew in at every crevice, nearly suffo- 
cating us. The people of the village were very 
uncivil, and bribes and threats had to be re- 
sorted to, before we could even procure water 
or firewood. Supplies there were none, except 
a water-melon, which we greedily devoured, but 
fortunately our carts were well provided. I was 
thoroughly knocked up, from the impossibility of 
getting any rest by day, owing to having to 
attend upon baby, who, in spite of heat and 
fatigue, looks better than when we left Mhow, 
and trots about the dirty floors in a state of 
great happiness, making dirt-pies to his heart's 
content. No traveller in civilized countries 
can form a conception of the state of dreadful 
dirt we are compelled to exist in, [notwithstand- 
ing the daily bath,] owing to the combined 
influence of dust and heat. 



Saturday, May 21. 

We started on our journey at six p.m. yester- 



REST AT MALLIGAUM. 



371 



day, the fiery wind preventing an earlier de- 
parture. After crossing the Taptee the roads 
improved, so that we proceeded at a trot, 
and arrived at Dhoolia about one a.m., when 
thinking it a pity to stop so early, we proceeded 
on our way, and towards ten a.m. this morning 
we found ourselves approaching Malligaum. Our 
servants and carts had all dropped behind, and 
we could not even procure a drop of water for 
poor baby, who had been fourteen hours without 
food, but whose patience throughout this trying 
journey was exemplary. We were allowed to 
take possession of the empty bungalow belonging 
to some Mends, who were themselves away, and 
the unspeakable delight of a cool clean house 
to rest in, on such a journey must be felt to be 
appreciated. Breakfast was sent us by a friend, 
and our carts did not appear till quite late in 
the day, being delayed by the usual upsets and 
break-downs, which fractured many of our boxes 
and spilled nearly all our store of wine, &c. 
We determined to stay a night here quietly to 
enjoy the unwonted luxury of a bed. 

Monday, May 23. 
There was no church service at Malligaum 
yesterday, owing to the absence of the chaplain. 
b b 2 



372 



LIFE IN INDIA, 



The day was intensely hot, even in the cool 
house we inhabited. We dined at four, and 
got ready for starting ; but the superintendent 
of the traffic department forgot to send our 
bullocks, and after much delay they sent a pair 
too few, so that it was past eight before we left 
the house, and then we had to leave one cart 
to follow ; next our drivers mistook the road ; 
and after much that was extremely trying to 
the temper and patience, we finally trotted off 
along the Bombay road, about half-past nine 
p.m. As day dawned we found ourselves just 
beginning the descent of the Chandore Ghaut, a 
very wild rocky gorge, the rocks on each side 
assuming all kinds of fantastic shapes, like 
forts, towers, &c, and all the hills were marked 
with black strata in horizontal lines, exactly 
corresponding with one another, giving the idea 
that they had been rent asunder by some con- 
vulsion of nature. The valley down which we 
wound is well- wooded, and very narrow, in 
one place nearly closed by the small walled 
village of Chandore, the gateway of which is 
rather handsome. After descending the moun- 
tain pass we emerged upon a wide and most 
arid and desolate plain, across which we had to 
plod our weary way for eighteen miles, with the 



COOLER WEATHER. 



373 



worst bullocks that had yet fallen to our lot, 
before arriving at Peepulgaum, a charming 
clean bungalow, which we did not reach till 
half-past eleven a.m. 

It is very extraordinary, and quite contrary 
to our expectations, but now we have descended 
so much nearer to the level of the sea, it is 
wonderfully cooler : indeed at dawn this morn- 
ing it was unpleasantly cold to those so lightly 
clad as we were, and we were not too hot 
during the subsequent journey, being refreshed 
by a cool sea-breeze, instead of the liquid fire 
it has been our fate to inhale lately. We 
found the bungalow delightfully situated in a 
grove of mangos, and it was cool enough to 
enable us to sit with the doors and windows 
open, a luxury not possible since March. We 
also found a decent messman, who prepared our 
breakfast, giving our poor servants a little rest. 

Tuesday, May 24. 

In the middle of the night I awoke from an 
uneasy slumber, and found we were passing 
through some pretty hills, having left the small 
Station of Nassick behind us. As morning 
dawned a magnificent line of Ghauts appeared 
in front of us, and our road wound among the 



374 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



lowest of the range, which were prettily wooded. 
We travelled on till ten a.m., when we stopped 
at Edulapoora, having only accomplished forty- 
eight miles in fifteen hours. The early morn- 
ing was so cold as to keep me awake, and the 
general atmosphere is much cooler than in Cen- 
tral India. The railway is making great pro- 
gress here, and before long will be opened to 
Nassick. They are building bungalows, and 
establishing a Station at this place, which is 
very prettily situated at the foot of the hills. 
We sold off all the remainder of our travelling 
kit to a Parsee here, as we shall have no further 
use for it. The road to-day was encumbered 
with thousands of pack-bullocks, accompanied 
by their owners, the wild-looking Brinjarries, 
whose women cover their arms with large 
bone rings, and wear high conical head- 
dresses; some of the droves were going to 
Bombay, laden with huge packs of cotton, 
but the greater part were returning north- 
wards, lean, travel- worn, and back-galled. We 
left Edulapoora soon after three p.m., and 
as the heat was not excessive, I was very glad 
we had daylight to traverse one of the prettiest 
roads I have seen for some time, carried over a 
succession of Ghauts; or rather I should explain 



BEAUTIFUL ROAD. 



375 



that the road is throughout a gallery, cut along 
the almost perpendicular sides of the hill, and 
winding round innumerable points, discloses 
very extensive and beautiful views of various 
ranges of hills, from the rocky summits cut 
into the most fantastic shapes, down to the 
lower range which we were traversing, the red 
soil of which, contrasts admirably with the 
bright green of the young trees clothing the 
hill sides. The railway tunnel through this 
vast range will be a wonderful work, and already 
the engineers have erected numerous bungalows, 
perched in the most picturesque situations, and 
forming an entirely novel feature in Indian 
scenery — I mean that of detached country- 
houses. Night closing in left us still among 
the Ghauts. 

Wednesday, May 25. 

The earliest dawn found us still jolting on 
through the same succession of wooded hills, 
and soon we stopped in a great yard belonging 
to the railway station at Wassind, where we 
slept in our carts for an hour, and then began 
a scene of confusion, noise, and struggling, 
not to be equalled in any country but India. 
We had to push our way through a crowd 
of pack-bullocks, and then run across the line 



376 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



in front of the engine, as the passenger Station 
h.qpnveniently placed on the opposite side to the 
road ; and when at last we had succeeded in 
collecting our baggage and servants from the 
surrounding mass of confusion, the railway 
officials forced us to leave the former behind to 
follow by a later train. No waiting-room or 
accommodation of any kind is provided for 
poor toil-worn travellers like ourselves; but 
under any circumstances we were too thankful 
to feel that our journey by bullock-dak had 
come to an end, bruised, sore, and aching 
in every limb, as we were, and in a state of 
dirt and misery past description. At length 
the whistle sounded, and we started : the train 
was nominally an express, but loitered on the 
way at every little Station, where the same 
clatter, and jabbering, and confusion was enac- 
ted, to the trial of our patience. The country 
through which the line is carried is very beau- 
tiful, abounding with lovely views of the hills, 
and the upper part of the harbour of Bombay. 
We arrived at the Byculla Station at ten a.m., 
and went straight to our hospitable friends on 
Malabar Hill, who had provided in every way 
for our comfort and refreshment, even to bor- 
rowing an experienced English maid, who 



MALABAR HILL. 



377 



undertook the care of baby for some hours, 
whilst I endeavoured to obtain a little rest. 
The well-ordered breakfast table was by no 
means to be despised, as we had tasted nothing 
since two p.m. yesterday, save a cup of coffee 
and some champagne and water at five this 
morning. This champagne in all our dirt and 
misery, always made me laugh by its incon- 
gruity, but I really believe it has been the 
means of enabling us to bear the excessive 
fatigue of the journey. It was surprising to 
feel the delicious cool sea-breeze, and find all 
the doors and windows open, the degrees of 
heat being thirty or forty degrees lower than 
in Mhow, and the damp so pleasant after the 
liquid fire we had breathed for so long; and yet 
all the inhabitants of Bombay are gasping and 
complaining of the extraordinary heat of this 
season, which is in consequence more unhealthy 
than usual. I kept quiet all day, and engaged 
a temporary ayah, but L — — was obliged to go 
down to the Eailway Station to see after 
servants and luggage, which, after all, had not 
arrived. 



878 LIFE IN INDIA. 



CHAPTEB XV. 

EMBARK ON BOARD THE " BOMBAY " — THE MONSOON 
SETS IN — CROWDED SHIP — SUFFOCATING ATMOSPHERE 

— PASSENGERS SICK PEOPLE — BAD FOOD — ADEN — 

HOSPITABLE FRIENDS — RIDE TO THE FORT THE 

"ALMA" PASSENGERS — CROWDED DECKS RED SEA — 

WRECK OF THE " ALMA " — MISERABLE TOTAGE. 

Friday, June 3 . 

These last ten days have been spent by us 
pleasantly among the sea-breezes of Malabar 
Hill, and enlivened by almost daily drives into 
Bombay, which I still think the most amusing 
of cities, from the variety of costumes and 
vehicles, and the tall picturesque houses with 
their latticed verandahs. One evening we took 
a sail in the harbour, in the " Augusta." The 
coming monsoon now lowers over the distant 
hills, especially towards sunset, and we are 
scarcely hoping to escape its violence during 
our homeward voyage. The unusually pro- 
tracted hot season is very unhealthy this year. 
Cholera is in the native town, and in Poona 
and other places several Europeans have 
fallen victims to it. Dysentery is also very 
common, and my baby has suffered much from 



FUNERAL PROCESSIONS. 379 

it since we arrived, — a reaction, no doubt, after 
the fatigue of his journey. Passing through 
the bazaar to-day we saw two corpses — one, 
that of a Parsee, followed by large numbers of 
that community, on its way to the " Tower of 
Silence," which is near the Point of Malabar 
Hill, where the worshippers of the sun give 
over their dead to the vultures and the kites ; 
the other body was that of a Hindu, going to 
the funeral pile. Both were laid on stretchers, 
and wrapped in a cloth thin enough to show 
the shape, and were carried along by four 
bearers at a rapid trot. The pall, or cloth, 
which covered the Hindu, was smeared with 
patches of coloured powders. 

Saturday, June 4. 

L went to breakfast with the Governor, 

who with his suite came down last evening from 
the Hills, and were overtaken crossing the bay 
by a violent thunderstorm, which causing the 
sea to be rough, produced effects wholly subver- 
sive of etiquette and Yice-Kegal state. His 
Excellency most kindly wished us to stay and 
dine with him previous to our embarkation, 
which was fixed for this evening, but we de- 
clined, feeling the necessity of being early on 



380 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



board, to get things comfortable in our cabin. 
So after an early dinner and taking leave of 
our kind hosts, we drove to the Apollo bunder, 
from whence the Commodore's boat put us and 
our luggage on board the P. and 0. Company's 
mail steamer " Bombay," and thus, with but few 
regrets, we bade adieu to the " Glorious East," 
and set our faces homewards. Our cabin was 
a wee, hot place, with three tiny berths for 
baby and us ; and the Eurasian woman I had 
engaged as nurse had no place allotted to her, 
but was obliged to lie down any where. There 
appeared a great crowd on board, and what 
with comings and goings, leave-takings, and 
the usual amount of eating and drinking, in- 
separable from the departure of a vessel, con- 
fusion reigned supreme, and we were glad to 
retire early to the privacy of our cupboard. 
The wind had moderated to-day, and though 
the horizon was dark and lowering, our friends 
on shore prognosticated a fine voyage, and that 
we should just escape the monsoon. 

Friday, June 17. 

We left Bombay harbour with the earliest 
dawn of Sunday June 5, and the beginning of our 
sorrows, was the order to close the port-holes, 



BREAKING OF THE MONSOON. 



381 



which remained battened down till this morn- 
ing. Of the misery endured during the past 
twelve days, my pen can convey hut a very in- 
adequate idea. 

The monsoon in all its violence set in as 
we left the harbour, and the ship's officers 
say we have experienced the worst passage 
known for twenty years. At first, there 
was not much rain, but a violent wind dead 
against us, accompanied by a heavy rolling 
sea, which quickly prostrated nearly every 
soul on board. I must do the good ship 
"Bombay" the justice of saying, that her 
seaworthy qualities are good ; but often, when 
caught by one of the frequent squalls, she 
shivered as she dived under the crest of some 
tremendous wave, and rose again with the 
buoyancy of a duck, every timber strained 
and groaned, forming a chorus with the voices 
of the frightened women and children, who 
screamed in terror, and shrieked in hysterics, 
with little intermission day or night. Formerly, 
during the monsoon a stray man or two were 
the only passengers, but this year the rush to 
England, on the cessation of the war, made 
people heedless of the season, and our vessel, 
built to contain sixty-five passengers, was 



382 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



crowded with seventy-eight, besides native 
servants. Each day the violence of the gale 
increased, though with a view of avoiding some 
of its fury we made a semi-circular course, 
running down the coast far to the south, and 
then returning along the African shore. Of 
course, I was ill, that is to say, very faint and 
miserable for several days, but I always con- 
trived with the earliest dawn to scramble on 
deck, where I remained generally lashed in my 
chair to the mast, till "lights out" forced me 
below. The necessity of going down into the 
foul air nearly killed me, with a sort of choking 
sensation. The heat, and smell of seventy or 
eighty people battened down in tiny cabins, all 
opening on one common saloon, where eating 
went on nearly incessantly ; in addition to the 
fumes from the engine-room, galley, and 
slaughter-house, both of which latter were on 
the lower deck : all this in the hottest month 
of a tropical climate, produced an atmosphere 
difficult to imagine, far more to describe. I 
never was able to sleep in my cabin during the 
whole time : the want of air turned me so deadly 
faint during the few minutes required for my 
limited toilet, that I used to spread a mattress 
on the floor outside my door, on which baby 



SICKENING ATMOSPHERE. 



383 



and I obtained such repose as was consistent with 
the circumstances, and occasionally inhaled a 
breath of air from a skylight opened during a 
momentary cessation of rain. Oh ! the horrors 
of that dreadful saloon— with people of all kinds, 
gentlemen and ladies, stewards, native servants, 
and children, all huddled together, on the floor, 
on the table, on the benches, amid the reeking 
odours of brandy and water, and stale fruit, and 
meat ! It gives some idea of the atmosphere of 
the little cabins, to know that even this saloon 
was preferable to them. The two first nights 

L and I slept on deck, but afterwards 

were prevented by the rain and sea, which 
swept clean over every part of the ship. One 
day, after having stood the brunt of four seas, I 
was forced for a time to go below. The rain was 
not continuous, but for many days we had 
constant heavy squalls, which invariably tor- 
mented us just as we were preparing for our 
meals. All the ladies and many of the gentle- 
men (who were visible at all) used to make the 
stewards bring their food on deck, and it was 
amusing enough to watch the erratic progress 
of a plate of soup, or a cup of tea, during the 
lively motions of the ship. The food was horrid, 
dirty, and ill-cooked; and of the interior 



384 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



economy of the ship, and of the crossness and 
incivility of the stewardess, it is impossible to 
speak in terms of praise. The children were 
insufficiently, as well as badly fed, and it was 
not allowed for one's own servants to prepare 
their food ; and there being no second saloon, 
during meal times the poor little things were 
turned out to sit in the doorways, or on the 
stairs, or in any odd comer. We had a store 
of sheep and cows on board, but they daily 
died from the violence of the weather, or were 
killed to save their lives, and the carcases used 
to hang at the doors of the cabins in the fore 
part of the ship, the possessors whereof had to 
make their way through the hay and straw and 
dirt of all descriptions to reach their doors. In 
this part of the ship, there was also always a 
great deal of water, and every thing was wet. 

Our fellow-passengers, a motley group, may 
be considered as fair specimens of the "Overland 
Mail." The military were represented by a 
General and a Colonel, besides crowds of sick 
subalterns, and a few going home on furlough. 
Numerous ladies, sick themselves and bringing 
home children still more ill, crowds of native 
ayahs and servants, an officer of the Koyal Navy, 
and two spare Captains of the P. and 0. Com- 



FELLOW PASSENGEKS. 



385 



pany, besides the officers belonging to the ship, 
completed the number, with the addition of 
three or four second-class passengers, who lived 
no one knew where, in the recesses of the un- 
wholesome dens below. One poor sick officer 
of the Bengal army was thrust on board by his 
man of business at Bombay, without any 
servant to attend upon him, in a perfectly 
helpless and apparently dying state from 
dysentery. He had a bag containing 300 sove- 
reigns put under his pillow, which was rapidly 
lightened by the numerous extra charges made 

professedly for his comfort. L , who did 

not even know his name, was asked by a by- 
stander to look after him, and he was his 
daily charge from that time. 

There was a poor lady in the last stage of con- 
sumption, having a child, and a poor old father 
and mother with her, themselves too ill to attend 
upon their dying daughter, who was half carried 
on deck by a steward each day with diminished 
strength ; and all the passengers were very kind 
to her, and propped her up with cushions, &c, 
but it is not probable that she will reach England. 
A young lady of most objectionable manners, 
and unwholesome complexion, having failed in 
la chasse aux maris in India, made desperate 

c c 



386 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



efforts to ensnare each guileless subaltern whom 
she could get to listen to her never- ceasing 
clatter and discordant laugh, which might be 
heard at all hours of the day or night, all oyer 
the ship. She occupied a berth in the ladies' 
cabin, and must have led the other occupiers a 
terrible time of it, one of whom was a miserable 
old Frenchwoman, who thought it her duty to 
lie in bed, inhaling chloroform, and praying to 
the Virgin. The rest of the ladies, with few 
exceptions, were either given to hysterics, or to 
dropping their H's or their shoestrings. 

The children were what only children brought 
up by native servants can be — rude, dirty, and 
disagreeable to the last degree ; and most of 
them (and indeed the great majority of the pas- 
sengers of all ages) suffering from boils and 
prickly heat, which gave the company the 
general appearance of being convalescents from 
the small-pox hospital. There was one very 
queer old Mussulmani ayah, who wearing tight 
red- striped trousers, a white dressing-gown, 
and a white handkerchief bound round her 
head, I was long before I could make up 
my mind whether she was a man or a woman. 
The genus Gent was represented by a most 
offensive specimen, who having been turned 



MOTLEY GROUP. 



387 



out of the Indian army for drunkenness, was 
now about to try his fortune in an Australian 
bank. Tins animal drew caricatures, and in 
his own estimation was a prodigy of cleverness. 
The first two evenings, warmed by copious 
potations, he came and sat down near us, 
swearing eternal friendship, and inviting us, in 
the name of his father, to reside for a lengthened 
period at that respectable individual's country 
house; but finding his overtures were not re- 
ceived with a corresponding gush of enthu- 
siasm, he afterwards confined his attentions to 
the baby, who, I am sorry to say, evinced a 
taste for low company, by rather patronizing 
him. There was one old gentleman who 
annoyed me greatly one day. He sat down in 
a chair next to mine, and refused to have it 
properly secured, though I entreated him to do 
so, for both our sakes. The end of it was, 
that after knocking me down once, a lurch of 
the ship threw him right over me (fortunately 
baby had just left my lap), and he rolled into 
the scuppers without a word of apology for 
thus laying me low. 

Our progress was much retarded by the bad 
quality of the coal with which we were provided, 
so that when we got into smooth water we could 
c c 2 



388 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



scarcely steam five miles an hour. The reason 
given was, that knowing we could by no possi- 
bility make a quick passage, it was thought a 
good opportunity to use up the bad coal, as a 
few hours' retarding could make no difference. 

Saturday, June 18. 

I heard the anchor drop at a quarter past 
one this morning, and knew we were snug in 
Aden harbour. Shortly after, my slumbers 
were rudely disturbed by the horrid sensation 
of a rat running all down me and biting my 
leg. We were astir early, and found ourselves 
in a bay surrounded by picturesque volcanic 
rocks. At six o'clock we went on shore, and 
with some difficulty effected a bargain with the 
curly-headed proprietor of two mules, who 
spoke English enough to be an adept in the 
art of cheating. We rode first to the bungalow 

of a brother officer of L 's, situated on 

a hill near the shore, of whom, rudely rousing 
him from his peaceful slumbers, we craved hos- 
pitality, and were kindly asked to return to 
breakfast, when we had completed our tour of 
the lions. A canter of six miles along a 
straight road, carried in one place through the 
rocks by a narrow cutting, brought us to the 



ADEN. 



389 



camp, situated in the crater of an extinct 
volcano. 

Aden was first fortified by the Turks, and 
is very strong, every accessible height brist- 
ling with batteries, on which are mounted 100 
heavy guns, and they might carry many more. 
It is an irregular rocky peninsula, sticking out 
from the mainland of Arabia, to which it is 
joined by a long neck of sand. No one is 
allowed to pass the barriers and penetrate into 
the interior. The garrison consists of a regi- 
ment of Bombay Native Infantry, two com- 
panies of a Eoyal Infantry Regiment, and two 
companies of Royal Artillery. There are a few 
men also belonging to an Indian Regiment of 
Irregular Cavalry, who were sent here on de- 
tachment twenty years ago, and have been 
dismounted, and apparently forgotten. The 
roads are excellent, and the pointed volcanic 
mountains very beautiful in their stern way, 
softened by a haze of pink and blue mist, 
peculiar to the tropics. It is reckoned a very 
hot place, and the reflection from the rocks 
causes frequent cases of sunstroke. The hills 
rise abruptly to a great height from the sea, 
the most striking peculiarity being the total 
absence of vegetation. The rocks are wholly 



390 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



composed of scoria, and there is not an atom of 
soil. A few bushes have been planted near 
the houses in the camp — the earth in which it 
is hoped they will grow having been imported 
from the mainland. Eain falls here only about 
once in two or three years, and one of these 
periodical storms has lately occurred, washing 
away people, roads, and buildings by its 
violence, and its immediate result has been 
the springing up in the crevices of the rocks of 
a few green lichens, which are looked upon as 
a great wonder. 

Remains of magnificent old tanks have been 
lately discovered, capable of holding three years' 
consumption of water; hitherto all drinking 
water, as well as firing, has been brought from 
the interior ; for washing purposes, a condensing 
machine purifies the sea water for the use of the 
community. In the camp there are plenty of 
" Europe Shops," kept by Parsees, and a hand- 
some native bazaar ; but vegetables, and many 
other luxuries, are very scarce. The inhabitants 
are Arabs and Africans, a mongrel, but yet much 
finer race than the Indians. They have frizzly 
black hair, which they dye red. Though pictu- 
resque, the Station must be a very dull one, as 
besides its limited extent, the houses are much 



HOSPITABLE RECEPTION. 391 



scattered, so that there is little society. A few 
days ago, the French Consul, transgressing the 
rule forbidding Europeans to go beyond the 
fortifications on the side of Arabia, attempted 
to penetrate into the interior, and was mur- 
dered by some hostile tribes. After riding 
through the camp, on our return we ascended 
to the ramparts on the heights, from whence 
there is a fine view of both land and sea — the 
general aspect of Arabia being an unvarying flat ; 
then descending to the gates of the Isthmus, 
we followed a road along the shore to " Steamer 
Point," and by nine o'clock were glad to take 
shelter from the burning sun, under our friends' 
hospitable roof, where we spent the day, 
and, among other luxuries, the never-to-be- 
forgotten delight of a bath was provided for 
us. After an early dinner we mounted some 
tattoos, rode down to the shore, and returned 
to the "Bombay." 

And now, before describing the new miseries 
that awaited us on board, I must go back to say, 
that directly we had anchored, came the report 
of the wreck of the Calcutta mail steamer 
" Alma" in the Eed Sea, and that the whole 
of her passengers had returned to Aden, and were 
to be put on board our already- crowded vessel. 



392 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



It appears that the accident, which occurred five 
days ago, was entirely the result of carelessness. 
She was ten miles out of her course, and on a 
bright moonlight night struck on a rock evi- 
dent to the most casual observer ; then heeling 
over, the water rushed into the open ports, and 
just giving time to save the mails and passen- 
gers, she went down by the stern. Those 
whose cabins were on the lower side scarcely 
saved any thing but their lives, and they all 
landed on a rock, where with such shelter as a 
few tents made of sails could afford, these poor 
people— men, women, and children— had to 
remain for three days with only a little biscuit 
and beer for their support: no ivater, except 
what could be got from a few lumps of ice. A 
boat was sent for assistance, which fortunately 
fell in with H.M.S. "Cyclops," which embarked 
the poor shipwrecked people, and brought them 
to Aden. 

On arriving there their first object was to pro- 
cure clothes, for which purpose they were fur- 
nished with a small sum each by the P. and 0. 
agent, who further promised that if they would 
wait for the Australian Mail (which was due 
in two days), they would have every chance of 
good accommodation on their voyage to Suez. 



SHIPWRECKED PEOPLE. 393 



However, persuasion and entreaty were alike in 
vain, and our ship's officers had no means of 
protecting their vessel, which was literally 
boarded by these people to the number of 101, 
some fifty more having the good sense to wait 
for the next opportunity. And now our griev- 
ances began. It was not that we were wanting 
in compassion to these poor shipwrecked peo- 
ple, whom to have rescued, we would gladly 
have suffered any inconvenience; but that had 
been done before our arrival, and they were 
safe, if not comfortable, at Aden, where no 
power could persuade them to remain for a 
few days longer, instead of forcibly taking 
possession of our ship, where they took up an 
injured tone, abused the servants and the pro- 
visions, smoked in the ladies' faces, &c, till, in 
short, our vessel closely resembled a Thames 
boat en route to Greenwich Fair. As evening 
wore on, matters grew worse, and truly there 
were some curious people among the "Almas." 

There was a Dutch officer with a Malay wife 
and five brown children, who occupied a large 
space in the centre of the deck, and by nine 
o'clock the whole was thickly covered with mat- 
tresses and sheets, in which persons of all ages 
and sexes enveloped themselves for the night, so 



394 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



that to go below, one had to pick one's way over 
a confused mass of arms and legs, at the im- 
mediate risk of treading on somebody's nose ; 
while in the saloons, even before the lights 
were put out. the table was converted into a 
great bed of Ware for more ladies and children. 

Trinity Sunday, June 19. 

We weighed anchor at nine p.m. last even- 
ing, and at the same hour a.m. this morning 
passed through the Straits of Bab el Mandeb 
into the Eed Sea. On one side there is a 
peninsula of picturesque volcanic rocks, and 
on the other the small island of Perim. where a 
wretched English officer with a detachment of 
Indian Artillery is stationed. He is relieved 
every three months, during which peiiod he 
has no communication with the mainland, 
never sees a white face, and has only the food 
and water that was brought with him. Just 
before dark this evening we lay to, for a few 
minutes, off the wreck of the •'•'Alma," which 
was stuck fast on a reef, with her bows high in 
ah. It was a melancholy sight, when one 
reflected what her unfortunate passengers have 
lost, and how narrowly they escaped with their 
lives. Many were much hurt in their exertions 



WRECK OF THE "ALMA." 395 

to save others. We saw the wretched tents on 
the island, where they remained for three clays. 
H.M.S. " Furious" is now lying here, endea- 
vouring to save a few of the things. The 
Lascar sailors are supposed to have plundered 
a great deal, upwards of 600/. in money having 
been found in their possession. Amongst 
those most to be pitied, I thought, were a poor 
old couple, indigo planters, from Bengal, who 
had not been home for fifty years. The old 
man was eighty-five, and his wife seventy- 
three, and they had been saved most gallantly, 
and with great difficulty, from the wreck, and 
wonderful to relate, did not appear to suffer 
much from all they had gone through. The 
children also surprised me by the little harm 
their privations seem to have done them ; few 
of them had any shoes or stockings, and they 
ran about our decks in one loose garment. 

Monday, June 20. 

The weather continues tolerably cool, with 
strong head winds, luckily for our crowded 
vessel, but owing to our weight we get on but 
slowly. All of us ladies, have formed ourselves 
into a sort of working club, plying our needles 
most industriously in behalf of the "Almas," 



396 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



who had mostly furnished themselves with 
pieces of coloured prints, &c, at Aden, from 
which we turn out gowns and garments for the 
children, with the rapidity of a sewing machine. 
They have no reason to complain of the want 
of benevolence of the " Bombays," as I believe 
contributions from the wardrobes of almost 
every one on board have been liberally given to 
those in need. The eating and drinking is 
now, of course, worse than ever. Thirteen 
meals a day succeed each other with wonderful 
rapidity. We are fed like hounds, and with 
food so coarse, it would not be given to well- 
nurtured dogs at home. 

Thursday, June 23. 

The last three days have been spent in the 
same weary monotony of crowded decks, slow 
progress, and disgusting meals. In all this 
wretchedness, our sick patient (who has been 
for some time established on deck), has steadily 
progressed towards recovery— a wonderful in- 
stance of the tenacity of human life ; but the 
poor consumptive lady is growing weaker daily, 
and is evidently sinking. A protest against the 
treatment we have received at the hands of the 
P. and 0. Company is being drawn up, and 



CROWDED SHIP. 



397 



will be signed by nearly all the gentlemen. 
The three doctors on board all say that the 
mercy of Providence alone has, by giving us 
head winds, which have kept up a certain 
degree of ventilation, saved us from the calamity 
of an epidemic, consequent on the over-crowding 
and heat. We are actually more in number in 
comparison with the size of the ship than there 
were on board the steamer last year which 
conveyed soldiers' wives up the Indus, when 
nearly all the passengers died of foul air ; but 
thanks be to God, who has sent us such cool 
weather as is seldom experienced at this season 
in the Ked Sea ! We all look sodden and ill 
(no wonder), and the children have whooping- 
cough, and are covered with boils, and to-day 
the quantity as well as quality of our food is 
rapidly diminishing. There was much excite- 
ment to-day by people making up their parties 
for the railway carriages across the Desert, and 
the objectionable young lady expressed strong 
opinions on the conduct of several officers and 
gentlemen, who contrived to elude the traps she 
had baited for them. 

Friday, June 24. 

Soon after breakfast we passed close to a 
large barren rocky island on our western side, 



398 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



which lies at the entrance to the Bay of Suez. 
The shores on both sides were visible all day, 
generally high picturesque hills, but totally de- 
nuded of vegetation. The exact spot where 
the Israelites crossed the Bed Sea does not 
appear to be correctly known, but it was in the 
narrow part of the Sea. To-day our provisions 
are reduced to the lowest possible ebb, and 
what little there is, is so badly dressed as to be 
almost uneatable. The only palateable drink 
is lemonade, made from limes bought by some 
provident passengers at Aden ; but this was not 
agreeable to breakfast upon. We went to bed 
rejoicing in the hope of its being our last night 
in the " Bombay." 



ARRIVE AT SUEZ. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

LAND AT SUEZ — THE DESERT RAILWAY — LOST LUGGAGE 
—CAIRO— NATIVE DRESS — EGYPTIAN BATH— DONKEY 

RIDING JTJMMA SHERIEE MOSQUE BAZAARS INSECTS 

EXPEDITION TO THE PYRAMIDS— THE YIRGIN's CAYE 

TOMBS OE THE CALIPHS — ALEXANDRIA EMBARK ON 

BOARD THE " INDUS "—MALTA— CAPUCHIN MONASTERY 
GIBRALTAR — OLD ENGLAND AGAIN. 

Saturday, June 25. 

We anchored off Suez at half-past three this 
morning, and before long all were astir to pack 
up, hoping to get early on shore, but alas! such 
a hope proved most delusive; we waited till 
ten, and then were fain to breakfast off any thing 
we could get, and, after another weary hour, 
the little steamer, which had conveyed the 
baggage on shore, returned for the passengers. 
We were huddled en masse on her scorching 
deck, but bade adieu to the "Bombay," with 
feelings of intense satisfaction and gratitude, 
heightened by hearing that her boilers were out 
of repair, so that it was a peculiar mercy that 
we accomplished our voyage without breaking- 
down, though the time we have been on the 



400 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



sea, (twenty-one days from Bombay,) is ordina- 
rily sufficient to carry the mail from thence to 
England ! Suez is a small dirty native town, 
situated on a spit of sand projecting into the 
sea at the foot of fine sandstone mountains, 
said to be those which prevented the Israelites 
from going across the Isthmus of Suez on their 
departure from Egypt. There is a large hotel 
at Suez, belonging to the P. and 0. Company, 
close to the landing place, and a great deal was 
said of a tiffin, which was to be here given to 
us, to make amends for our late paucity of sup- 
plies ; but as the food consisted of a very limi- 
ted allowance of cold mutton and chicken, and 
we had to pay three shillings for a pint bottle 
of beer and soda water, the entertainment could 
not be considered a very liberal one. The 
hotel, though large, was kept private, in ex- 
pectation of a visit from the Pasha, and having 
no place to sit down in, we took what repose we 
could, sitting on our boxes in the hot courtyard 
for a couple of hours, whilst the train was being 
got ready. At last, about three o'clock, we 
were bundled into vans, six ladies in each, 
drawn by a pair of mules, and jolted through 
the dusty streets to the railway station, a dis- 
tance of about a quarter of a mile, which was 



RAILWAY THROUGH THE DESERT. 401 

sufficient to make us thankful we had no fur- 
ther to go in such conveyances. The gentle- 
men and the luggage were conveyed on open 
trucks, through heat that even we thought tre- 
mendous; and after a scramble incredible, we at 
length collected our party, and established our- 
selves in the carriage appropriated to us, being 
assured by the officials that our heavy baggage, 
which had been brought on shore in the morn- 
ing, would all be forthcoming on our arrival at 
Cairo, where we purposed remaining for some 
days, to shake off the mass of our fellow-pas- 
sengers, and to refresh ourselves with the sights 
of Egypt. Puff, scream, puff, puff, puff! and 
now we pass through the straggling village and 
emerge on the desert — an undulating plain of 
sand, intersected by a few small ravines, and 
occasionally large stones scattered on the 
smooth surface of the sand. Now and then a 
string of camels might be seen in the distance, 
or an Arab in his blue gown, treading his 
solitary way ; and twice a miserable scrubby 
bush, about thirty inches high, reminded us of 
the existence of the vegetable kingdom. 

Of course there are no Stations for passengers 
in the desert, but the engine stops for water 
every hour, when the sand has to be cleaned 

d d 



402 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



out of it. The general effect of the desert to 
my mind, was that of a country buried under a 
mantle of yellow snow, (and the glare was 
nearly as great as that of white snow,) particu- 
larly when we passed a range of high hills, the 
soft outline of which bore the closest resem- 
blance to a snow-drift. A few miles from 
Cairo tufts of coarse grass began to show them- 
selves in the sand, and then a distant view of a 
belt of palms, and other trees, indicating the 
valley of the Nile, (the same yellow sand still 
at the foot of the trees ;) gradually a few 
patches of cultivation irrigated and green, then 
some tall minarets and domes, and three great 
pyramids standing out in the background 
against the setting sun ; and passing a large 
white palace of the Pasha's, we ran into the 
large station at Cairo, the time taken in 
crossing the desert being five hours. There 
are, of course, no habitations to be seen on 
the wayside, except an occasional tent, or 
one of the old caravansaries, enclosed in loop- 
holed walls. Collecting our small parcels, 
I proceeded with baby and some friends to take 
possession of some rooms that had been secured 
for us at Williams's Indian Family Hotel, which, 
prepared and furnished like a French house, is 



PICTURESQUE COSTUMES. 



403 



very clean and quiet, and only professes to ac- 
commodate those who come to remain a few 

days. L , who had staved behind at the 

Station to get the heavy baggage, soon followed 
me to say, it was utterly impossible to get at 
our luggage, which was locked up in the vans 

going to Alexandria, so L made up his 

mind to go on there himself in the luggage 
train at night, and return as early as possible to- 
morrow with the recovered things. 

Sunday, June 26. 

I got up early this morning and thought the 
view from my window the most amusing I ever 
saw. It looked upon the grand square, or gar- 
den, which is bordered by cafes like those in 
the Champs Elysees, and crowds were passing 
to and fro, clad in the costumes of every nation 
under the sun, mixed with smart little donkeys 
with gay carpet saddles, with enormous hiimjSs 
of red leather in front. The Syrian and Egypt- 
ian ladies wear silk gowns of bright rose or 
straw colour, a white thick veil hanging down 
like a long pointed beard, and fastened by an 
ornament down the middle of the forehead, 
showing only their splendid eyes, whose effect 
is artificially heightened by a dark circle 
d d 2 



404 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



painted round them. Over all they wear a 
black silk cloak, which, often inflated by the 
wind, extends to larger dimensions than Euro- 
pean crinolines. The full trousers tied in round 
the ancles are scarcely perceptible, except as 
impeding the motion of the legs, and causing 
the walk to become an ungraceful shuffle, which 
effect is aided by the yellow slippers which 
complete the costume. The common women 
wear black veils, and are generally clad in blue. 

We strolled about the town in the morning, 
which, in its modern part, very much resembles 
a French one ; and then went to the Service at 
the English church, situated in the old Coptic 
quarter, which is very curious, from its narrow 
cool streets, the carved latticed balconies of the 
houses nearly meeting overhead. In each of 
these lattices small doors are contrived for the 
amusement of the ladies inside. The carvings 
on the arched doorways of these old houses are 
very beautiful, both in design and execution. 
The English church is fitted up in a large 
room of the clergyman's house ; he is a German, 
but reads and preaches well in English once on 
Sundays ; the Evening Service is in G-erman. 
There were very few people present, it being 
the empty season in Cairo. After church I 



NATIVE EGYPTIAN BATH. 



405 



went to take a Turkish bath — a process, on the 
whole, more curious than agreeable. Giving 
my rings and money into the care of my drago- 
man at the door, I was ushered into a large 
hall, with raised seats all round, where a num- 
ber of women and children were disembarrassing 
themselves of their garments, or splashing, in a 
state of broivn nature, in a large basin in the 
centre. I was handed up into a kind of stall, 
and told to take off my clothes, which were 
hung on a string, and by their fashion excited 
a good deal of curiosity and amusement among 
the native women. I was then given a long- 
white cloth to wrap myself in, and my feet were 
thrust into wooden pattens, and then my con- 
ductress, (whose sole covering consisted of a 
handkerchief bound round her head, and a 
necklace of gold beads,) led me through several 
rooms with wet marble floors, into a small 
apartment at the end, which was to be for my 
sole use. All classes meet in these baths, the 
ladies only having rooms to themselves. The 
air was very hot and clamp like a vapour bath : 
streams of hot water flowed into small basins 
at the sides of the room, and large cockroaches, 
who squeaked like rats, gambolled in every 
direction. Here I was seated on a stone seat, 



406 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



and the scrubbing process was begun on my 
hair, which was rubbed with a bunch of well- 
soaped fibres. This took a long time, and was 
rather pleasant, till the disentangling began, by 
dragging forcibly at it as if it had been a 
horse's mane. It was in vain I remonstrated ; 
I felt sure I should emerge bald from the bath, 
and, literally, when I was released, a bunch of 
hair sufficient to stuff a cushion was thrown 
down by my tormentor ! This torture ended, 
the scrubbing was continued all over my body, 
which was at the same time sluiced with warm 
water. After a time I was again rolled in my 
now wet cloth, and conducted back to the outer 
hall through a perfect Babel of brown nudities, 
who were talking, laughing, scrubbing, and 
playing with the most perfect unconcern and 
amusement. Arrived at my stall I had to dress 
in public, my arrangements and attire provoking 
much good-humoured merriment. Finally, I 
was served with a minute cup of coffee in a 
little stand, and then delivered over to my dra- 
goman, who was waiting to escort me home. 

At four o'clock my friends and I sallied forth 
again, mounted on the j oiliest little donkeys 
that it is possible to imagine : they are trained 
to run in the easiest manner about six miles 



JUMMA SHERIFF MOSQUE. 



407 



an hour, and for riding in the narrow streets of 
an Eastern town, are much more convenient 
than horses. We went first to the Eailway 

Station, hoping to find L arrive hy a train 

just due; but he did not appear, and we learnt 
that there was another later in the evening. 

We then rode through the native bazaars of 
Cairo, which are very entertaining and gay 
with their variety of goods — a separate bazaar 
being devoted to the productions of each na- 
tion;— they are interspersed with numerous 
mosques, decorated with elaborate carving. 
We ascended a steep winding hill to the citadel, 
which is approached through ruinous fortifica- 
tions. The top is crowned by the Jumma 
Sheriff Mosque, whose beautiful minarets and 
dome form striking objects in all views of 
Cairo. On entering the outer court, canvas 
slippers are drawn over one's shoes to prevent 
scratching the pavement of polished white 
marble. In the centre is a fountain with a 
dome and niches most elaborately and delicately 
carved, and round three sides of the court are 
arcades, the whole built of oriental alabaster. 
The fourth side is occupied by the mosque, 
built of the same beautiful material. The 
windows in the arcades, and those in the 



408 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



mosque are filled with bronze gratings of the 
most elegant designs. The interior of the 
mosque, exquisitely carved and polished, with a 
ceiling gorgeously painted, corresponds in rich- 
ness with the exterior. On one side is the 
tomb of Muhammed Ali, the founder, rich in 
bronze and green and gold. Three circles of 
brass lamps are hung round the dome to light 
it at night. The interior is an open space with 
carpets on one side, near a green and gold pulpit. 
The effect of the walls and pavement of polished 
and carved alabaster is beautiful beyond ex- 
pression. I think I never saw a church I 
thought so gorgeous and at the same time in 
such good taste, not even excepting St. Peter's 
at Borne. It is built on the spot where the 
Mamelukes were massacred by Muhammed Ali, 
who, doubtless, considered the erection of this 
gorgeous temple a kind of atonement. The 
view from the terraces outside is very extensive 
and fine, the Nile winding like a silver thread 
in the distance; at your feet Cairo with its 
thousand minarets and domes, nearly all beau- 
tifully carved; beyond, the great Pyramids, 
the aqueduct, the hill of a hundred windmills, 
and far away, in the haze of evening, the 
Pyramids of Memphis. We stood on the rock 



pasha's palace. 



409 



where the Mamelukes were butchered, and from 
whence the last of them jumped his horse over 
the precipice, and so escaped himself, though 
the horse was killed. A small palace of the 
Pasha's stands near, in a pretty little garden. 
We were shown a number of fine rooms with 
European curtains and carpets, and handsome 
damask divans. The walls of one room were 
painted to resemble windows, with different 
prospects. The Pasha's great bed, a mass of 
soft quilts, looked comfortable enough; but the 
only thing I really admired was his suite of 
bathing rooms, all of polished oriental alabas- 
ter. The outer room had a couch on which to 
repose and take coffee after the fatigues of the 
bath. 

We rode back through another set of bazaars 
equally amusing, thronged with pedestrians in 
every variety of dress, donkey riders, camels, 
carriages gay with gilding, large bullocks 
drawing carts, long palhees made for camels, 
put on drays and drawn by mules, men hawking 
water, sherbet, and various other things. The 
natives are fond of sitting on wicker baskets 
like birdcages at their doors, or else reclining 
on carpets just inside the shops. 

L did not arrive till nine p.m., having 



410 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



had nothing to eat for thirty hours. He was 
for ten hours last night shut up with Egyptians 
in a second class carriage, and on arriving at 
Alexandria had a great deal of difficulty in re- 
covering our luggage, and only succeeded just 
in time to catch the return train here. 

Monday, June 27. 

The morning was devoted to the Turkish 
bazaars, where we purchased a few pretty 
tilings. At four o'clock we started on donkeys 
to ride to the Pasha's garden of Shubra. The 
road is shaded by an avenue of sycamores and 
acacias of three miles in length, terminating on 
the banks of the Nile, at a large and yet un- 
finished palace. Dismounting at a gate, we 
walked through a garden laid out in straight 
walks, with hedges of clipped myrtle ; flowers 
were scarce, but in this bare country the place 
looked green and pretty. In one corner stood 
a very trumpery summer-house, of painted 
glass, but farther on there was a handsome kind 
of cloister, or gallery, built round a piece of 
water: the pillars and floor were of. polished 
white marble, and the ceiling beautifully 
painted. At the centre of each side, couches 
were arranged to rest upon, and at the four 



GARDENS OF SHUBRA. 



411 



corners were furnished rooms, one with a 
billiard table, and another whose decorations 
struck us as most beautiful and uncommon. 
The floors and walls were of inlaid woods, the 
chandeliers of many-coloured glass with silver 
mountings, the curtains of pink and gold 
damask, and the couches and chairs very rich 
in gilding and satin. The ceiling was white, 
and blue, and gold, and the only tables were 
two of pure white marble. The immediate 
environs of Cairo are all highly cultivated, in 
perfectly flat gardens, interspersed with pretty 
villas of two storeys high, with green jalousies, 
like French houses. One of these, a kind of 
summer-house, in a large court bordering the 
Shubra road, belongs to the Pasha, and there 
he was spending this afternoon. His guard, of 
about fifty horse soldiers, clad in handsome 
white jackets and loose trousers, with a small 
silver button on their fez caps, were lounging 
at the gates. 

Tuesday, June 28. 

There are still plagues in Egypt. Not to 
mention the flies, which are innumerable and 
loathsome, from their propensity to settle on 
the weak eyes of the Egyptians, the fleas and 



412 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



mosquitoes are more ravenous and importunate 
than any I have met with. Cairo is charming by 
clay, but the nights are one long torment. 

We started at five this morning on an expe- 
dition to the Pyramids of Cheops, driving 
through Old Cairo about three miles to the 
banks of the Nile, the road raised between 
deep ditches, being generally bordered by trees, 
or hedges of bamboo, a much smaller species 
of cane than the Indian plant of the same 
name. At the river bank we found our donkeys, 
and embarking with them in a ferry-boat, 
crossed the river, here divided into two branches 
by an island. 

The Nile is now just beginning to rise, 
and in about twenty days will have attained 
its maximum height — twenty feet more. 
Arrived on the opposite shore we mounted 
our jolly little donkeys, and proceeded along 
shady lanes and through groves of dates 
(a very stiff, formal looking palm), and then 
over a large tract of irrigated fields, now 
brown and bare, towards the Pyramids, 
which with the lights and shadows of early 
morning gleaming on them, looked very grand 
and wonderful. The sandy desert begins about 
half a mile from the base of the nearest Pyra- 



ASCENT OF THE PYRAMIDS. 413 



mid, and they are raised on a high bank or 
mound perforated in every direction with old 
tombs cut in the sandstone rock, and covered 
with debris of small, or baby Pyramids. The 
group is composed of three large ones, the 
farthest much smaller than the other two. We 
dismounted at the base of the nearest, and 
were immediately surrounded by vociferous 
Arabs, who almost tore us to pieces in their 
anxiety to secure attending us to the top. Our 
dragoman had previously warned us not to take 
money or any valuable with us, as these wild 
tribes are very independent, and have no whole- 
some awe of Europeans ; indeed they were very 
disagreeable and half threatening in their 
manner to me, when during the ascent I got a 
little separated from the gentlemen of the 
party, and they all speak enough English to be 
impertinent. The ascent was much more easily 
accomplished than I expected. One Arab held 
me by each hand, and a third assisted in the 
rear, and in this way I found no difficulty in 
climbing the steps, which are huge blocks of 
stone, very much broken, and varying in height 
from two feet to four. My dress was naturally 
rather an encumbrance, and one of my Arabs, 
taking hold of my gown, asked me why I did 



414 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



not take it off. The view of Cairo and the 
flat garden-like valley of the Nile is, of 
course, very fine and extensive, though not 
beautiful. Whilst we were resting on the top, 
an Arab boy ran down our Pyramid and up to 
the summit of the next, which is higher, in the 
space of ten minutes. The descent is very easy, 
by leaning on your guides and jumping from 
step to step, and I was surprised at not ex- 
periencing any feeling of giddiness. Our break- 
fast awaited us at the bottom, under the shadow 
of a projecting ledge. Only one of the party, 

Mr. W , went into the interior, and his 

account was, that passing for some distance 
down an incline, you grope your way through 
several chambers lined with polished granite, in 
one of which is a sarcophagus of the same 
material, called the Tomb of Cheops, but there 
was little to be seen, and that little but dimly 
seen by the light of a solitary dip. The Arabs 
beset us again with redoubled violence when we 
rose to depart, and nearly drove us wild with 
their noisy vociferations, greatly taking off from 
the pleasure of the excursion. Keturning, we 
passed close to the Sphinx, whose huge head 
projects out of the sand between the two 
largest Pyramids. She has lost her nose, and 



CAVE OF THE VIRGIN. 



415 



never could have been exactly a pretty girl. 
A man standing by her enabled me to see that 
it is about six feet from the point of her chin 
to her mouth. 

The sun's heat was very great as we rode back 
over the plain, though very different in effect 
from the poisonous rays he emits in India. Re- 
crossing the ferry, we entered the carriage and 
drove through the narrow and ruinous streets 
of Old Cairo ; and getting out to thread still 
narrower alleys, we arrived at a very ancient 
Coptic Church, supposed to be built over the 
residence of the Virgin Mary, during her sojourn 
in Egypt. It contains several finely carved 
wooden" screens, panelled in places with inlaid 
ivory. Curious old pictures on gold grounds 
adorn the walls, and underneath is a small 
crypt, supported by polished granite pillars, 
and containing a tiny cave, said to have been 
the abode of the Virgin : though why she was 
supposed to have lived in such a hole, I cannot 
imagine. 

We got home about one p.m. Passing a 
village to-day, we observed the people making- 
bricks with straw, like the Israelites, and baking 
them in the sun. We also saw a mirage on 
the desert — a view apparently of a lake with 



416 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



islands, where in reality there was nothing but 
sand. In the afternoon we went up to the 

citadel, for L to see the magnificent 

mosque, winch lost none of its beauty on a 
second visit; and afterwards drove towards 
Bulac, the port of Cairo on the Nile, but the 
dust was so disagreeable that we returned 
home, and contented ourselves with strolling 
in the gardens of the great square till dinner 
time. In the evening we generally sit under 
the trees in front of one of the cafes, which 
supplies us with ices, pipes for the gentlemen, 
and coffee for those who like the thick infusion 
full of grounds, served up without milk, in tiny 
cups in stands. Bands, both native and 
European, play every evening, and the beau 
monde of Cairo promenade in the shady walks. 
The bread in Egypt is excellent, and with 
water melons appears to be the chief food of 
the common people. The people employed on 
public works receive no money, but a loaf of 
bread daily, in lieu of wages. The Pasha is 
very arbitrary in his exactions, and not a little 
eccentric in his conduct. He returned yesterday 
from Alexandria, and delayed the Overland 
Mail two hours, because he had lost two pipes, 
which were eventually found on board Ins yacht. 



PKEVALENCE OF OPHTHALMIA. 417 

His passion is engine driving, and there being 
only one line of rails, he frequently endangers 
many lives by his recklessness. He is a re- 
markable instance of an Eastern wholly without 
personal fear, but like most despots his amuse- 
ments are of the most puerile description. At 
Shubra we saw several velocipedes, on which he 
delights to ride round the marble cloisters, and 
two or three tiny canoes, in which he paddles 
on the water of the Fountain. It is very 
noticeable that almost all the men in Cairo are 
either blind of one eye, or are suffering from 
ophthalmia in both, and the European children 
seem all victims to the complaint. It used 
to be common here for men to destroy one of 
their eyes to save themselves from the conscrip- 
tion, but the Pasha was too sharp for them, 
and has organized a regiment of one-eyed 
soldiers. 

Wednesday, June 29. 

We started at nine this morning on donkeys, 
and jogged through the bazaars to the Egyptian 
burial-ground, a large space filled with curious- 
looking little white tombs, those of the men 
having a turban carved at one end, whilst a 
sort of representation of a veil marks those of 
the women. We alighted before a large 

e e 



418 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



mosque with three domes, containing within 
the tombs of the Pashas. They are large 
sarcophagi of plaister, painted in gay colours, 
and with sentences from the Koran written 
around. There were several men within, re- 
citing, in a nasal tone, verses from their holy 
book. Outside the mosque containing these 
Koyal tombs are some handsome carved monu- 
ments, erected by Muhammed Ali over the 
bodies of the Mamelukes he had murdered, 
a poor compensation, one should think, for 
their lives. 

On our return into Cairo we went, by appoint- 
ment, to call on the Chaplain's wife, Mrs. 
Lieder, who had kindly offered to show us her 
collection of Egyptian curiosities. We found 
her drawing-room quite a miniature museum, 
the most conspicuous object in which was the 
perfect mummy of a princess, possibly, as early 
as Moses. This mummy is said to be an unique 
specimen of that era. There were many small 
mummies of a calf, of ibises, hawks, crocodiles, 
and one of an ox, which were considered sym- 
bolical deities. Our hostess herself could read 
the hieroglyphic signs, and gave us much inter- 
esting and curious information on different sub- 
jects connected with the antiquities of this 



SCRIPTURE REMINISCENCES. 419 

country. She told us that the portion of Old 
Cairo in which is situated the Coptic church we 
visited yesterday, is the site of the Eoman camp 
in which Antony and Cleopatra lived. Mrs. 
Lieder disbelieves the story of the Virgin's 
Cave, but gave good reasons for the supposition 
that the church was built over a spot made 
sacred by being the scene of the imprisonment 
and martyrdom of Christians during one of the 
persecutions under the Emperor Diocletian. 

Near the church was a small monastery, from 
which St. Peter is supposed to have written his 
Epistle dated Babylon. The old Babylon, in 
Assyria, had before then ceased to be a place of 
importance, and Babylon was a name by which 
Old Cairo was known to the ancients. She 
suggested to us that the plain watered by the 
Nile in which Cairo stands, may have been 
formerly the land of Goshen, which was given 
to the Israelites ; and the Egyptian city of No 
lay on a sandy plateau between the Pyramid 
of Cheops and those of Memphis. It is written 
in the prophecies respecting No, that 44 No 
man should henceforth walk through it," and 
this has been literally fulfilled by the con- 
stantly accumulating debris from the yearly 
inundations of the Nile, forming such a mass 
e e 2 



420 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



of soil on the top of the ruins, that though 
men daily walk over it, no one can accurately 
be said to walk through it. Succoth, where 
the Israelites assembled previous to the Exodus, 
lay on the plain we traversed going to the 
Pyramids, and the banks of the river, a little to 
the south of where we crossed it, may have 
been the scene of the miracles of Moses. A 
small island near Cairo is said to have been the 
spot where Moses was found; but as Pharaoh's 
daughter probably lived in the Eoyal city of 
Memphis, some thirty miles distant, it is not 
likely to be a truthful legend. 

Mrs. Lieder's museum contained several 
sculptured heads and arms, some coins and 
crosiers, and a beautiful altar vase, brought 
from the ruins of the church at Thebes. In the 
early days of Christianity the Coptic quarter was 
a walled village, and the modern town of Cairo 
had no existence. Our kind hostess was a per- 
fect miracle of learning, and had all the history 
of the Egyptian kings, as well as that of the early 
Christians, at her fingers' ends. We regretted 
much that our stay here drawing to a close, we 
should not be able to avail ourselves of her 
kind offer of guiding our steps to some of the 
interesting antiquities of the neighbourhood, 



TOMBS OF THE CALIPHS. 421 



After returning, as usual, to our hotel in the 
middle of the day, for some light refreshment 
in the way of fruit, &c, and an hour's rest, we 
sallied forth again in the afternoon, and thread- 
ing the tortuous lanes of the bazaars, went 
out of the town on the northern side by a 
noble gateway (to which, from the outside, 
there is no regular approach), and winding 
through narrow paths with walls on each side 
(reminding me of the one Balaam rode along, 
when the ass crushed his foot against the wall), 
we passed through another large cemetery, and 
approached a number of handsome tombs and 
mosques, the burial-places of the Caliphs, or 
of the heads and founders of the Mameluke 
dynasty. We entered one of them, which 
though now in a state of decay, shows the 
remains of former splendour, in a Mosaic pave- 
ment of many-coloured marbles, and arabesque 
paintings on the ceiling. This mosque has in 
the centre a circular opening to the air. 

Here are shown three separate impressions of 
Muhammed's foot, on a piece of dark-coloured 
marble, the impress of five toes being very clear. 
We did not enter the other mosques, and only 
just got home before dark. The wayin which the 
donkeys thread their way through the crowded 



422 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



bazaars, without relaxing in their hurried pace, 
is quite marvellous. Each moment you fancy 
must bring you into collision with some of 
the many two or four-legged passengers who 
throng the streets, but if you leave all to the 
donkeys you rapidly find yourself shuffled safely 
through them all. The bazaars are very cool 
in the middle of the day, as mattings or awnings 
are stretched across them to keep out the sun. 
The Early-Closing Movement obtains here, and 
by five o'clock most of the shops are shut, and 
their owners transferred to the numerous 
cafes and sherbet shops, where they play un- 
ceasingly at dominoes. 

Thursday, June 30. 

The train to Alexandria professed to start 
at 8.30 this morning, but the Turks never 
consider it worth while to hurry about any 
thing, and on this occasion it was delayed by 
the ever-restless Pasha, who never seems to 
remain more than one night in any place. 
Yesterday he drove his engine to Suez in one 
hour and twenty minutes, being ten miles an 
hour faster than it is guaranteed to go in 
safety, and he remarked to his English engi- 
neers, that though they might be afraid, he was 
not ; to-day, the small army constituting his 



THE DELTA OF THE NILE. 



423 



escort blocked up the line before us, causing 
several hours' detention. The Delta of the 
Nile, between Cairo and Alexandria, is the very 
ugliest country I ever traversed— a dead flat, 
without trees, except a few stiff date palms, or 
here and there a garden. The fields are still 
bare, except where water has been turned 
on the rice crops, which then form a vasi 
swamp. The flat-roofed villages resemble 
those in India in dirt and squalor. The rail- 
way crosses the Nile and its branches in several 
places ; the principal bridge has only lately been 
finished, and was last year the scene of a dread- 
ful calamity, when the train ran into the river, 
and a brother of the Pasha's was among the 
drowned. On that occasion the Pasha drove 
his engine to the edge of the causeway the next 
morning, and remained there for two days, to 
see, as he said, if they dared to push him in I 

The city of Alexandria is situated at the extre- 
mity of a long neck of land stretching out into 
the sea, and approached through dismal lagoons 
and swamps. On arriving, we were nearly torn 
to pieces by the touters from the rival hotels, 
and eventually were carried off to the wrong 
one, where we had to compromise matters by 
partaking of a bad dinner, after which our 



424 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



things were removed to Abbott's, where rooms 
had been already engaged for us. We strolled 
'through the fine square, which is said to be 
exactly the size of Noah's Ark, and were struck 
by the preponderance of coats and hats over 
oriental costume, and also by the variety of 
languages written over the shops, all of which 
had a decidedly European appearance. 

Friday, July 1. 

The practice which obtains in Egypt of 
having no private sitting-rooms in the hotels 
is productive of much discomfort, driving one for 
refuge after breakfast from a dirty Salle a Man- 
ger, reeking with the odours of many meals, 
to the fusty bedroom, whose turn of being 
done has not yet arrived. In the afternoon we 
drove to the so-called Pompey's Pillar, a soli- 
tary column standing on a high bank outside the 
town, and chiefly remarkable for the shaft con- 
sisting of one block of pink granite. It is 
supposed by some persons that this is impos- 
sible, and that the ancients were acquainted 
with some method of fusing the granite, so as 
to hide the joints between the different pieces of 
which the pillar was composed. This column is 
considered by antiquarians to be centuries older 



SIGHTS OF ALEXANDRIA. 425 

than Pompey, and to have no connexion what- 
ever with him. The Arah cemetery near the hase 
of the pillar is curious: each little grave has an 
aloe planted by it. About a mile farther from 
the city we went to see a curious old church, 
excavated in the sandstone rock by the primi- 
tive Christians, the walls of which were painted 
in frescoes, now much decayed ; one represented 
the miracle of the loaves and fishes, and there 
were many portraits of the Apostles. From 
the centre of the Church branched off a long 
catacomb, and we saw many excavated graves, 
leading apparently to subterranean passages of 
great extent. The guide, wishing to impress 
us with the idea of the great antiquity of this 
church, assured us that it was 4,000 years old ! 

Returning from our drive, we passed through 
long alleys of trees, and streets of villas, which, 
with their gardens, would have been very pretty, 
but for the excessive dust, which seems to per- 
vade and cover every thing in or near Alex- 
andria. We stopped at a spot near the sea- 
shore, where Cleopatra's Needle now stands. 
It is a fine obelisk of pink granite, the hiero- 
glyphics on three sides of which are as perfect 
and sharp as when they were cut ; those on the 
fourth side have suffered a little from the 



426 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



weather. It used to lie half buried in the sand, 
but a few years ago it was raised to its present 
erect position, though, as it is only supported 
on a few stones, it seems miraculous that the 
first sea-breeze does not lay it low. 

Saturday, July 2. 

We were up early to see the bazaars, which 
however are shabby and poor, after those of 
Cairo ; and on our return found that a cabin 
had been secured for us on board the P. and 0. 
packet < 6 Indus," which was to leave for South- 
ampton in a few hours. Then commenced a 
never-to-be-forgotten struggle to get our lug- 
gage and ourselves down to the wharf, where 
crowds of Arabs vociferating for "backsheesh" 
nearly tore us to pieces. At last, we were 
fairly embarked in a dangerous little wherry, 
the owner of which positively refused to row, 
and recklessly made fast his large sail. It was 
with feelings of sincere pleasure that we took 
possession of our airy poop cabin on the 
" Indus," which had the further advantage of 
being apart from the rest of the passengers. 
She is a fine roomy vessel, and though very 
full we were not at all crowded. We steamed 
out of the harbour of Alexandria at six p.m., 



LIFE OF BOARD THE " INDUS." 427 

and the heavy dew and cold wind sent me to 
bed with a European cold. 

Tuesday, July 5. 

On Sunday, a dignitary of the Church, who 
chanced to be on board, read the Service on 
deck, and preached a sermon which had evi- 
dently been intended for use on a transport 
going to the Crimea, for he found himself 
suddenly growing eloquent on the subject of 
" tender and devoted women," who had de- 
dicated themselves to the service of the 
wounded and sick; and feeling that his pre- 
sent congregation were of a different cast, he 
stopped, began again, and vainly endeavoured 
to adapt the remainder of the discourse to 
those around him. We steam moderately fast, 
through a calm blue sea; the days are nice 
and warm, but the evenings chilly. There 
is a piano on board, and a band which plays 
every evening, and tempts some of those 
who have been fellow-travellers from China or 
India, to dance. We have a good many dark 
Malays on board, and several Chinese nurses, 
curious-looking creatures, who carry the babies 
supported on broad scarfs passed over their 
shoulders. 



428 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



Wednesday, July 6. 

A charming morning, the pleasure of which 
was enhanced by the hope of reaching Malta 
early. About noon we first sighted the island, 
and by two p.m. had safely anchored in the 
quarantine harbour of Valetta. The first im- 
pression of the island is one of wonder at its 
immense strength, every available morsel of 
ground being converted into some kind of field- 
works. The numerous towers of the churches, 
and the many-storied jalousied houses crowning 
the steep rocks, are very picturesque, though 
one longs for a few green trees to contrast with 
the glare of the white stone. Pretty little 
boats, gaudily painted, soon swarmed around 

our steamer, in one of which L and I 

proceeded to the shore, and climbed a steep 
narrow street to the Strada Eeale, where the 
principal shops display their stores of lace and 
coral to tempt the unwary. The day beino- 
hot, and being unaware of the close proximity 
of the places we wanted to go to, we engaged a 
carriage, the driver of which, for transporting 
us a few hundred yards, claimed the exorbitant 
sum of fifteen shillings, which, there being no 
redress to be obtained, we were obliged to pay. 
After paying a visit to our friends the 



CHURCHES AT MALTA. 



429 



W s, we proceeded to the monastery of the 

Capuchin monks, remarkable for a morgue, a 
crypt under the church, where the bodies of the 
dead monks, clothed in their life-attire, are 
arranged in niches against the walls. They 
are preserved from decay by exposure to great 
heat (being roasted in fact) and by the extreme 
dryness of the soil ; some are quite skeletons, 
whilst others retain large portions of skin and 
flesh. One had a horrid swollen tongue pro- 
truding from his ghastly mouth, and almost all 
had assumed some grotesque or comical atti- 
tude, shockingly at variance with a scene of 
death and decay. The youngest corpse had 
only been three years dead, whilst many 
were several centuries old. The walls of the 
crypt were ornamented with cornices and de- 
vices formed of human bones, and the whole 
atmosphere was dank and earthy. 

Glad to escape from this shocking spectacle, 
we next visited the Cathedral of St. John, a 
magnificent church, the interior walls of which 
are richly decorated with gilded scrolls in relief 
on a blue ground. The side chapels are dedi- 
cated each to a particular nation, and contain 
the monuments of the Grand Masters of the 
Knights Templars according to their nationality, 



m 



430 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



whilst the floors, of inlaid marbles, consist of 
tablets to the memory of humbler personages. 
The choir, containing the knights' stalls, is very 
rich in carving and gilding, and there are many 
pictures, but none of any remarkable beauty. 
A fine chair of state is placed on one side of 
the centre aisle, for "Victoria Queen," as our 
guide informed us. Our excursion on leaving 
the Cathedral extended to some of the shops, 
the owners of which drive a very thriving trade 
by the custom of the steamboat passengers; 
and after hearing a few tunes from a military 
band, in a kind of public promenade, we par- 
took of a very bad dinner at the Hotel Imperiale, 
and returned at nine p.m. to the good ship 
" Indus," which shortly after weighed anchor, 
and steamed off en route to Gibraltar. 

Monday, July 11. 

Five days of perfect weather— the sea as 
blue as a sapphire, and as smooth as glass — 
brought us to Gibraltar, the last day within 
sight of the lovely mountains on the southern 
coast of Spain — the only incident being the 
appearance, one day, of a long black line in 
the waters, which one of the sailors jokingly 
remarked might be the sea-serpent. On ap- 



FIRST VIEW OF GIBRALTAR. 431 



proaching, it proved to be a large pack of seals, 
evidently on a journey. They swam close toge- 
ther, and kept exactly in line, with their black 
heads out of the water, like so many dogs ; 
and were swimming steadily forward in the 
same direction for as long as we could watch 
them. On emerging from my cabin at six 
this morning, I beheld the great white rock 
of Gibraltar rearing its head immediately in 
front of us ; and, rounding Europa Point, we 
anchored alongside a coaling hulk by eight a.m. 
Before us lay the town, with its gardens and 
terraces; the great rock towering over it, 
pierced by innumerable galleries, and covered 
with zigzag paths; joining this to the main- 
land, lay the flat strip of neutral ground ; now 
covered by the white tents of an English and 
a Spanish camp — the village of San Koque 
perched on a rock, and surrounded by fields 
and gardens; and, further round the bay, the 
town of Algesiras reposing on a background of 
beautiful mountains and green valleys, dotted 
with country houses ; — all this, with the blue 
Mediterranean for a foreground, covered with 
vessels of all shapes and sizes— from the stately 
English three-decker, to the little country 
boats — formed a panorama of beauty, far sur- 
passing any thing I had imagined. 



432 



LIFE IN INDIA. 



We were to remain five hours ; and the dis- 
embarkation of passengers was remarkably well 
managed, a certain number of boats being pro- 
vided by the Peninsular and Oriental Company — 
tickets for which were obtained on board — thus 
avoiding the usual scenes of extortion and squab- 
bling. We landed ; and, walking up the High 
Street, might have fancied ourselves in England, 
had it not been for a few foreign names, and green 
jalousies. After breakfasting with some friends, 
we mounted donkeys, with curious saddles (mine 
was a pad placed between two pairs of cross- 
trees, and covered with gay-flowered chintz), 
and, ascending the steep lanes of the town, 
passed through the gate of the old Moorish 
castle, and entered a range of the celebrated 
galleries, with which the rock is perforated in 
every direction, and which contain embrasures, 
bristling with heavy guns. 

We paused on many of the open spaces to 
admire the lovely views ; but were obliged, from 
lack of time, to limit our excursion to St. George's 
Hall — a chamber excavated in a large and semi- 
detached piece of rock. All the galleries we 
saw look towards Spain, but there are many 
others on the different sides of the mountain ; 
and the Prince of Wales has lately laid 
the foundation of a new battery of ninety guns, 



RETURN TO ENGLAND. 



433 



on the only side which appeared ill-defended. 
Returning towards the town, we were delighted 
with the numerous wild flowers growing in the 
crevices of the rock. The monkeys are rarely 
seen, except in the early morning; but par- 
tridges, and some other game, are abundant. 
The " Indus" weighed anchor at one p.m., and 
we steamed close to the beautiful shores of 
Spain, having the African mountains in hazy 
outline on the other side. Towards evening 
we passed Cape Trafalgar, where the enemy's 
fleet lay previously to that great battle. 

Our progress up the Coast was very in- 
teresting; we passed close to the mouth of 
the Tagus, and within view of the heights of 
Cintra, crowned on its sharpest pinnacle with 
what was once a Moorish castle, then a con- 
vent, and is now the favourite palace of the 
King of Portugal. We crossed the Bay of 
Biscay with scarcely a ripple on the water; 
though the cold wind was trying to us, coming 
from the East. On Saturday, July 16th, we 
found ourselves steaming up Channel along the 
Dorsetshire Coast — which had a cold, green 
aspect, strikingly different from the scenery 
among which the last two years of our lives 

f f 



434 LIFE IN INDIA. 

had been passed — and, passing through the 
Needles, under a broiling sun, we found our- 
selves entering the docks at Southampton at 
half-past one o'clock p.m. ; where all looked so 
familiar, we asked each other, could it, indeed, 
be, that two years of such varied scenes had 
passed since we last set foot in dear Old Eng- 
land ? 



APPENDIX. 



"HOW I HELPED IN THE PUBSUIT OF 
TANTIA TOPEE." 

By MAJOR LEOPOLD PAGET, R.H.A. 

On 1st October, 1858, I got letters informing 
me that I had been appointed by H.B.H. 
the General Commanding-in- Chief, to the 
command of the D troop, Koyal Horse Artil- 
lery, which had lately marched from Poona 
to Central India, to be employed with the 
Field Force under the command of General 
Michel, in the pursuit of Tantia Topee. 
Having to wait for orders before I could leave 
the Field Battery then under my command, it 
was not until the 27th of that month, that my 
wife and child and myself turned our backs on 
Dharwar, and on the agreeable and kind friends 
we had made there, to enter on a journey of about 
900 miles, to the region of Central India, where 
we supposed my troop to be. I shall omit the 
f f 2 



436 



APPENDIX. 



details of our journey to Poona, and thence to 
Ahmednugger, as that has been noticed in 
the foregoing pages, and I take up my story 
from the clay I left my wife at the latter Station, 
in a strange place, among strange people, to 
shift for herself as best she could. But " duty 
is duty, and must be done," so accordingly, 
having laid a bullock-dak, I started at 8 p.m. 
on 23rd November, on my pilgrimage in search 
of my new troop, of the whereabouts of which 
none of the authorities at Poona or Ahmednug- 
ger had the smallest conception, no advices 
having been received from it for weeks past. 
I had, however, hopes of gaining intelligence 
if I could make my way as far as Mhow, in 
Central India. Travelling through the night, 
I arrived at Aurengabad on 24th, and became 

the guest of Captain S , the Commandant, 

who received me with the kindness so universal 
in India from one Sahib to another. 

I remained at Aurengabad till 27th, laying 
in further stores for my solitary ramble, and 
among other things I bought a useful pony 
for Domine, my body-servant, justly concluding 
he was more likely to attend to my cuisine and 
other comforts, if I made things pleasant to 
him, than if I obliged him, native fashion, to 



APPENDIX. 



437 



perform his journey on foot, or jolt in a bullock- 
hackery ! On the 27th November I arrived at 
Poolmarey, a distance of 16 miles, and found 
a dak-bungalow in which to put up. Having 
to make 28 miles to Sailoor the next day, I 
started at half-past 2 a.m. on Sunday ; my 
grey Persian "horse, possibly having conscien- 
tious scruples against Sunday travelling, was 
good enough to commence the day's work by 
pitching upon his head, and throwing me, 
which, as I happen to be a heavy man, and the 
ground in India rocky and hard, was more or 
less unpleasant. 

The journey of the 29th brought me to 
Ajunta, and I became as usual the guest of 
a perfect stranger, Major Gill, late of the 
Madras army, a solitary European living at 
that place, for the purpose of photographing 
the wonderful Cave Temples of Ajunta and 
Ellora. He had a charming bungalow, and a 
most excellent cook and cellar, and I left him 
with much regret, coupled with a feeling of 
disappointment, that I could not take advan- 
tage of his kind offer to be my cicerone over 
these wonderful remains of a former age ; but I 
felt I was bound to join my troop at the earliest 
possible moment, and that I had no right to 



438 



APPENDIX. 



indulge in a pleasure excursion on my own 
account. 

At Tulligaum, where I arrived on December 
1st, there was no travellers' bungalow, so I had 
to put up for the day in the native serai, a hot, 
stinking place enough, which I was rejoiced to 
leave, at 5 next morning, forlfeodir, where, 
to my surprise, I saw in a tower of the small 
native town, an undoubted English clock, which 
struck the hours, and behaved in all respects as 
a clock ought to do. Here I found 300 baggage 
animals for General Michel's Field Force, on 
their way up country. Journeying on my 
solitary path through the jungle, just as day 
was breaking on the morning of December 3rd, 
an enormous tiger crept stealthily across the 
road, just in front of my horse ; but I conclude 
he had partaken of an early breakfast, or I should 
not now be writing these lines. I had a long 
ride that day of 45 miles, and on reaching 
Borehampur late, I found an outpost of the 
23rd Bengal Native Infantry, and made merry 
with the officers in the evening. I arrived at 
the strong Fort of Asseerghur on December 4th. 
The jungle at the foot of the fortress was dotted 
with white tents, and sure enough, here I found 
one of the many columns in search of the rebels. 



APPENDIX. 



439 



It proved to be that under the command of 
Colonel Beecher, of the Bengal army, and what 
was interesting to me, attached to it, I found 
two guns of my own troop, under Lieutenant 
Peter Hill, 

Among the non-commissioned officers I 
found an old acquaintance, one Bombardier 
B— — , originally a gunner in the troop in 
which I served as subaltern eleven years before. 
He was an example of what are the sad effects 
of drink in the British army, and how it ruins 
the prospects of all over whom it holds sway. 
This man, from his good education and address, 
had been made an officer in the Turkish Con- 
tingent, during the Crimean war, but for 
drunkenness, had been remanded as a gunner 
to his troop, Boyal Horse Artillery. He then 
rose again to be a non-commissioned officer, 
and on the arrival of the troop in India in 1857, 
he had another trial given him and was 
appointed a Quarter-Master in a regiment of 
Native Cavalry: but his besetting sin once 
more overcame him ; he was tried by a court- 
martial, and sent back to the Horse Artillery, 
in which I found him risen again to the rank of 
Bombardier. He died at Mhow, very shortly 
after, from the effects of a broken constitution. 



440 



APPENDIX. 



As Colonel Beechers column happened to be 
going in the direction in which I wished to pro- 
ceed. I gladly accompanied it on the 5th of De- 
cember, and passed a most agreeable day in 
the society of the officers of the column— hear- 
ing all sorts of professional chit-chat, from 
which I had been debarred for a Ions? period. 
On the 6th I remained with the column, as 
rebels were supposed to be in the neighbour- 
hood, and travelling quite alone had become 
ticklish work. On December 7th, Colonel 
Beeeher. having received tidings of the enemy, 
moved off his column in quite a contrary direc- 
tion to that in which I was going, so I went on 
by myself to Diesgaum, twenty- two miles. 

Here my seiwants picked up all sons of dis- 
agreeable stories about the proximity of rebels ; 
averring they had just burnt a village about 
five miles off— through which lay my onward 
route. I could only hope they might have 
finished their depredations before my arrival, 
and decamped without leaving stragglers. Xext 
morning, leaving Diesgaum at daybreak. I en- 
deavoured to canter, with an airy unconcern, 
through the looted village : undoubted traces 
of recent outrage were visible all about it ; and 
I confess to a feeling of satisfaction, when I 



APPENDIX. 



441 



found myself with a whole skin at the next 
Station, in company with a Civil Engineer, whom 
I found in possession of the travellers' bunga- 
low. 

I arrived at Mhow at six p.m., December 9th, 
after twelve hours' jolting in a buttock-hackery, 
and found some officers of the 8th Hussars oc- 
cupying the travellers' bungalow. The next 
day I passed an agreeable evening, dining with 
General Michel, who commanded this division 
of the army, and all the various columns then 
engaged in hunting rebels in the field. Here 
I got authentic information, for the first time, 
of the place where my troop was likely to be 
found, viz., at or about Eutlaum, and heard that 
it formed part of a cavalry column under the 
command of Brigadier Somerset, C.B., son of 
the Commander-in-chief at Bombay. I also 
heard that General Michel, hearing I was tra- 
velling up country alone, had sent an escort of 
sotvars to meet me ; but I had never fallen in 
with them. I may here remark, en passant, 
a peculiarity I afterwards observed about these 
detached columns, who were engaged in hunt- 
ing the rebels. They were all commanded by 
officers of zeal and experience; and they all 
wanted to be the one to catch Tantia Topee ; 



442 



APPENDIX. 



and as each wanted his own column to do it 
without interference from another, in addition 
to chasing the rebels, the columns were often 
running away from one another; so that when 
the uninitiated thought they were in hot pursuit 
of the mutineers, it frequently transpired that it 
was only a rapid countermarch to get out of the 
neighbourhood of Brigadier Somebody else, who 
had been heard of within a few miles of the last 
halting-ground. 

On December 12th, having procured five 
camels from the Commissariat department for 
my baggage, I started by Dak gary, via Indore, 
for Kutlaum. At Indore, Sir Eobert Hamilton, 
the Eesident at the Court of the Maharajah, 
kindly ordered an escort to accompany me to 
Kutlaum, as the rebels were known to be cer- 
tainly about these parts, and a solitary Euro- 
pean would stand but a very poor chance. 
After travelling all day, I arrived at eleven p.m. 
at Eutlaum on December 13th, and found two 
guns of the Eoyal Artillery, under Major Grant, 
who thought, but was not certain, that the 
column I was in search of was in, . or near, 
Selaneh. Here was I in a pretty pickle. I 
had sent on my horses and baggage animals 
from Mhow, by advice of the General, to join 



APPENDIX. 



443 



this wandering army at Rutlaum; but the co- 
lumn had not been there, and nothing certain 
was known about them. My bullock-dak had 
come to an end, and I had no authority to lay 
another, even if I had known in which direction 
to send relays of beasts ; so, here I found my- 
self, without a change of clothes— minus horses 
and baggage — attended only by the faithful 
Domine — whom I had kept with me to do my 
cooking at the halting-places. While ponder- 
ing oyer this dilemma, I was informed that a 
detachment of the camel corps, under a Sou- 
badhar of native infantry, had just arrived, en 
route to join the very column I was in search 
of; so I joyfully perched myself on the leading 
camel, and away we went about two p.m., De- 
cember 14th : but, on reaching Selaneh a few 
hours later, we found no traces of our wan- 
dering host ; so we journeyed further to a place 
called Peeplode, and there bivouacked under a 
tope of trees for the night. 

I endeavoured to make myself as agreeable 
to the native officer, as my total ignorance of 
the language would permit — by constant hand- 
shaking, and smoking innumerable pipes of 
peace and good-fellowship. I ascertained, some- 
how or other, that he was a Jew, and we re- 



444 



APPENDIX. 



mained great Mends all the time we were "in 
the field together — a day seldom passing with- 
out the ceremony of the " hand-shake." This 
first evening, after Domine had procured me a 
light repast of tea and chupatties, the native 
officer appeared, escorting a large ckarpoi, or 
native bedstead, he had procured for my use, 
and on which he tucked me up with cloaks and 
blankets, with the care of an old nurse. 

At daybreak, on the loth of December, we left 
Peeplode; and suddenly, about noon, came, quite 
unexpectedly— to myself, at all events— in sight 
of an English encampment at a place called 
Moera ; and, to my great joy, it proved to be that 
of the very column I was in search of: and I 
soon had the pleasure of greeting my old friend 
Colonel Gardiner, whom I had come to relieve, 
and who only waited my arrival to start for 
Bombay, en route to England. I was rejoiced 
to find that my baggage and horses had found 
their way to the column, and I was soon com- 
fortably ensconced in my own tent; and next 
morning, on taking formal command of my new 
troop, found the horses in good condition, and 
every thing in the fine order it was sure to have 
been kept, under my predecessor. The column 
I had joined was a cavalry one, under Brigadier 



APPENDIX. 



445 



Somerset, consisting of head-quarters of 17th 
Lancers, commanded by Lieutenant- Colonel 
Benson— four guns of my Troop (D) Eoyal 
Horse Artillery, and two companies of the 92nd 
Highlanders, mounted on camels— and our ob- 
ject was to try, by sheer hard marching, if we 
could not overtake and bring to action the mu- 
tineers under Tantia Topee, who kept up a per- 
petual dance all round the country. 

On December 17th the column left Moera 
in two divisions: a portion of 17th Lancers 
and two of my guns, under the Serjeant-Major 
(for I had no officers) being detached, with 
orders to make a rapid march after the rebels 
in one direction, whilst I went on with my two 
remaining guns, the Highlanders, and a squad- 
ron of 17th Lancers, under the Brigadier, to 
Jowra, to try and cut them off in another. The 
next day we were entertained at dinner by the 
Nawab of Jowra, who seated himself by the 
Brigadier during the repast, smoking his chi- 
bouque . He is an enlightened native, speaking 
English, and affecting European manners. He 
keeps up a little army of his own, consisting of 
two or three regiments of infantry and a few 
guns. He was very desirous that we should 
prolong our stay in his territory, and either 
pretended, or really believed, that he had 



446 



APPENDIX. 



reliable information of the enemy's intention to 
pass through this neighbourhood in a day ortwo. 
After dinner he entertained us with a parade of 
his hunting chetahs and two or three giraffes; 
and for a frolic, our Staff Officer, Wood, of the 
17th, bent upon riding a lively young giraffe, 
before any one could interpose, slipped over the 
balcony on to the astonished beast's back, who, 
of course, immediately began a violent course 
of plunging and buck-jumping, so that the 
gallant officer, though he clung manfully to the 
animal's neck for some seconds, was shortly 
prostrate on the bosom of mother earth, a good 
deal shaken by his fall. 

We arrived at the ruins of the Station of 
Mehidpore (lately destroyed by the Mutineers) 
on 23rd December, after four days' march from 
Jowra, without incident of any kind. It was 
saddening to ride about the deserted canton- 
ment, and see the ruin and desolation of what 
a short time since had been a very pretty 
Station : the burnt and ruined bungalows, the 
gardens all laid waste, and the utter silence, 
and absence of all life around, made a very 
depressing scene 1 . 

1 Mrs. Timmins, wife of Colonel Timmins, the Com- 
mandant of the Mehidpore Contingent, had a miraculous 
escape. She mounted her horse to fly with her husband, 



APPENDIX. 



447 



Christmas-Day was duly observed by a halt, 
and prayers read in the camp, whilst in the 
evening the officers of the column all dined 
together, and had a real good Christmas dinner, 

when the mutinous Sepoys commenced firing on their 
officers, and her horse was shot under her. She refused 
to mount another, but preferred trusting herself to the 
fidelity of her dirzee (or tailor), who offered to conceal 
her in his house, whilst Colonel Timmins galloped nearly 
one hundred miles before he joined the column advancing 
to his relief, under the command of Colonel Orr, Madras 
Artillery. As soon as possible, the troops pushed on to 
Mehidpore, which they found burnt and deserted ; but on 
inquiring, Colonel Orr was told of a house where it was 
supposed Mrs. Timmins was concealed. He called out 
in English, and at last effected an entrance and beheld 
crouched in a corner, half dead with terror, a being in the 
dress of a native woman, who proved to be poor Mrs. 
Timmins alive and unhurt, but having been hunted from 
room to room, and from one place of concealment to 
another, during five days and nights, till every hope of 
rescue had almost died within her. I need scarcely add 
the faithful dirzee was retained as a pensioner. Mrs. 
Timmins's favourite dog was also saved and concealed by 
its attendant, and restored to her when the country again 
became quiet. Severe vengeance was taken by our vic- 
torious troops on the inhabitants of the native village of 
Mehidpore, who were supposed to have been concerned in 
the mutiny, for the whole place was so completely swept 
away and destroyed, that not even a stone remains to 
mark the site of their former habitations. 



448 



APPENDIX. 



my man Domine actually producing an enormous 
plum-pudding ! The hours passed quickly with 
song and story, and curiously enough, ghost 
stories being on the tapis— all of them true ! 
—an officer, a perfect stranger to me, told, as a 
well-authenticated anecdote of its kind, a some- 
what singular supernatural incident that had 
happened years before to myself! Leaving 
Mehidpore on the 27th, we marched to a place 
called Indark, and I was much amused at over- 
hearing the following colloquy between Bethune, 
who commanded the Highlanders, and one of his 
men. I was just leaving my camping-ground, 
when I came upon Bethune, a kneeling camel, 
and a Highlander, standing at < 6 attention ' ' beside 
the beast but at rather a respectful distance. 

Bethune said, " Now, Donald mon, you must 
really mount, or you'll be left behind: the 
Brigadier will never halt the column for your 
whimsies." 

Highlander : " Begging your honour's pardon, 
I would rather walk; the beastie is dangerous." 

Bethune: " Nonsense, mon, jump up." 

Highlander : " Begging your honour's pardon 
again, na ! I enlisted for a fut soldier, and I 
will na ride." 

At this point of the dispute I had to pass on, 



APPENDIX. 



449 



but Bethune afterwards told me that the man 
had to be carried in a dhooly, the fact being 
that, unaccustomed to camel exercise, and wear- 
ing only a kilt, he had suffered severely from 
the uneasy jolting of the animal. 

Next morning I was awoke by " Boot and 
Saddle " shortly after midnight, so there evi- 
dently was something up, as the Brigadier had 
last evening named 5 a.m. as the hour for the 
march; away we went till daylight, when a 
halt was sounded for breakfast, after which we 
pushed on all day, and reached a place called 
Sooseneer, a distance of 32 miles, at 8.30 p.m., 
having marched unceasingly, except the hour 
for breakfast, since 1 a.m. 

December 29th, we left all our kit and 
baggage under a guard at Sooseneer, and 
started with merely the clothes on our backs. 
During the night we bivouacked for a few hours 
at the Kalasind river, our dinner consisting of 
a few native sweetmeats, and some water to 
drink. After a short halt we came up on the 
morning of the 30th with Colonel Benson's 
column, that had parted from us at Moera. 
The Colonel had engaged and defeated the 
rebels on the previous day, and taken a good 
deal of booty, with several elephants. This 

g g 



450 



APPENDIX. 



column, like us, had left all their baggage 
behind them, and were generally in a very 
dilapidated, dirty, and hungry condition. The 
troops had just killed a small Brahmin cow, 
which they had found in the native village, and 
which they proceeded to cut up and devour the 
best way they could. The fact is, pursuing 
rebels under the burning sun of India, without 
Commissariat or camp equipage, rest or shelter, 
is very rough work, approaching to the very 
verge of hardship. Fortunately our Division 
had brought some food, conveyed in my hos- 
pital-cart, which, having broken down early in 
the campaign, and being unfit to carry sick or 
disabled men, was turned into a mess-cart, 
to carry articles of cuisine, and proved very 
useful. We halted an hour or two with Colonel 
Benson, who, with his officers, gladly partook 
of some of the food we were enabled to prepare, 
for the first time since leaving Sooseneer, for 
though carrying the appliances wherewith to 
satisfy our hunger, we had had no time to 
attend to our bodily wants. 

After a hasty meal, we parted from Colonel 
Benson's column, taking with us the two guns 
of my troop that had formed part of it, and, 
taking up the running after the rebels, pro- 



APPENDIX. 



451 



ceeded 21 miles to Kelchiepoor, where we 
bivouacked for a few hours, then inarched 22 
miles to Chunella, where we snatched a mouth- 
ful of food, and then on 15 more miles to 
Saltool, where we bivouacked under a tope of 
trees, on the night of December 31st. 

There were evident signs of the proximity of 
the rebels during this march, and that they 
could not be very far off, as the fires were still 
smouldering, at which they had cooked their 
food. On our march to-day I was attracted 
by the sight of an elephant standing near a 
village about a quarter of a mile on our left : 
my men also saw it ; as did also a native servant, 
who was walking by my side. I immediately 
reported the circumstance to the Brigadier, who 
sent a troop of 17th Lancers to capture the 
animal, but nowhere could he be found; and 
though, from his size, an elephant is not easily 
hidden, it appeared, in this instance, as if he 
had vanished into thin air. While on the 
subject of elephants, I may mention that three 
were attached to my troop as baggage animals 
— and, if properly managed, they are most use- 
ful in that capacity, from their strength and 
endurance — but one of these was a highty- 
tighty, self-willed sort of a gentleman, who 
g g 2 



452 



APPENDIX. 



latterly declined carrying any thing but one 
tent— which, for an elephant, was a ridiculously 
small burthen. He used to carry, in addition 
to the tent, a huge troop-chest, containing all 
the records, books, stationery, &c. ; but one 
day, in the middle of a march, he suddenly 
stopped, untied the cords with his trunk, and, 
deliberately depositing the obnoxious box on the 
ground, refused, from that day forward, to suffer 
himself to be again loaded with it. This same 
elephant was the cause of much delay in our 
passage of the Taptee, by declining to swim 
across. No persuasion could induce him to 
approach the bank of the river; so, at last, 
the head mahout was sent for ; and he imme- 
diately went up to two steady old elephants, 
with whom he conversed for some seconds in 
Hindustani, evidently explaining the diffi- 
culty to them. They appeared immediately to 
comprehend what was required of them ; for 
they straightway proceeded to place themselves, 
one on either side of their refractory com- 
panion, and shoved him, by main force, into 
the river. When they had got him well out of 
his depth, they belaboured him soundly with 
their trunks, and then drove him out on the 
further bank. 



APPENDIX. 



453 



After a few hours' rest at Saltool, we started 
again at midnight, just as the new year was 
breaking; and, after four hours' march, were 
ordered to halt, in strict silence, and prohibited 
from smoking. We were, at last, on the heels 
of the mutineers — a spy informing us that they 
were encamped about two miles in our front. 
At daylight, on January 1st, 1859, we mounted 
again, and Brigadier Somerset made his dis- 
positions for attacking the enemy. The horse 
artillery were in the centre, following a track — 
it could hardly be called a road— the 17th 
Lancers on either flank; whilst the 92nd 
brought up the rear on their camels, ready to 
dismount and form at a moment's notice, if 
required. We proceeded in this order for two 
miles ; when, all at once, we came upon two 
large bodies of the enemy's cavalry— each about 
2,000 strong. They were about 800 yards in 
our front ; one body rather to the left, posted 
near a village ; whilst the other body was a 
good deal more to the right, in the open country, 
among paddy fields. I wheeled my guns off 
the road, into the open ground on my right, 
brought them into action, and opened fire with 
shell, which I had the satisfaction of seeing 
burst beautifully among both bodies of the ene- 



454 



APPENDIX. 



my, causing those on the left to waver imme- 
diately. The enemy on the right, however, 
stood their ground well; and were being led 
and encouraged by a native, conspicuously 
dressed in white, and mounted on a handsome 
white horse. He waved his sword, and was 
evidently encouraging them to charge the guns ; 
when, suddenly, a round shot knocked him and 
his horse over, and several followers rushed out 
and carried him into their midst. It was Tantia 
Topee himself ! Somerset now ordered me to 
limber up ; and away we went to within 400 yards 
of the enemy, who opened a brisk fire upon us 
with musketry. I now loaded with canister, but 
the courage of the mutineers failed ; and as the 
guns were being rammed home, they wheeled 
and fled. " Front limber up ! " Again, " Gal- 
lop !" and away went Somerset, Wood, Trum- 
peter Golding, and myself : but, alas ! alas ! 
I heard an ominous cracking of whips behind 
me, and felt what had happened ; and, on look- 
ing round, I saw my guns, instead of following 
me in a beautiful line, were in a most irregular 
echelon, with the drivers plying whips .and spurs 
in vain. The poor gun-horses were done to a 
turn : the last little gallop in the paddy field 
had finished them, and I could hardly be sur- 



APPENDIX. 455 



prised ; for, during the last five clays we had 
marched 165 miles— marching, literally, night 
and day. The last eighty miles, followed by 
the action, had been without a halt ; and when 
the force bivouacked later in the day, the men 
had been on horseback for forty-two hours out 
of the previous forty-eight. Four of my gun- 
horses died of fatigue. 

The 17th Lancers now started in pursuit; 
and Somerset directed me to take my troop 
into the track, go on quietly at a walk, and 
open fire if I had a chance ; but I never got 
the opportunity. I saw no more of the rebels, 
but once, when a large body of them were seen 
on the brow of a hill, at some distance, but 
disappeared on catching sight of the guns. 
The road was strewed with loot in all direc- 
tions, and the Lancers were scampering all 
over the country pursuing detached parties. 
Whilst I was halting in the road, I espied a 
rebel Sepoy mounted on a tattoo ; and he came 
so near my troop, that, unable to resist the 
temptation, I started in pursuit. He threw 
himself off, and hid behind some bushes ; and, 
Tvhen I came up, I saw my dusky friend, 
crouched down, with his carbine pointed at my 
head. I desired a couple of my men, who had 



456 



APPENDIX. 



followed me. to take him prisoner; but, on 
turning away. I heard a heavy thud, which told 
he had received scant mercy. 

On rejoining my troop, the Brigade Major 
was good enough to take me roundly to task 
for my undignified conduct, in galloping about 
after individual rebels; but as the Brigadier 
made no remark, and Wood happened to be a 
good deal my junior, I patted him on the head, 
and forgave him his cheek. He was not far 
wrong, however, as my bad example had set 
my mounted detachments wild : they all wanted 
to leave then guns, and go rebel-huntino- on 
then own account ; and I had some difficulty 
in restraining them. 

An alarming report reached us here, that the 
invaluable Domine had been killed; which, 
fortunately for our bodily wants, turned out to 
be incorrect — as ; on our return towards Burode 
to bivouac for the night, we found him sitting 
on a door- step in a village — having managed, 
however, to ride one of my horses to death. 
We were all right glad to reach our camping- 
ground, and to get a little food for man and 
horse. 

A report reached us that Tantia Topee was 
killed ; but we scarcely believed such luck was 



APPENDIX. 



457 



in store for us : the shot had undoubtedly killed 
his horse — a very handsome white Arab— hut 
the rider, whether killed or wounded, was 
quickly carried out of sight. It turned out 
afterwards that he lived to give us plenty more 
trouble, as I shall presently show ; but, in point 
of fact, this was the last stand— if stand it could 
be called— made by any considerable body of 
rebels in that part of India. 

We halted three days at Burode, and heavy 
rain setting in, added greatly to our discomfort, 
being without tents or shelter of any kind. On 
January 4th we changed our ground to a place 
called Chubra, about ten miles off, where we 
remained till the 9th, when our tents and bag- 
gage arrived, and having been twelve days 
without shelter, and with only the clothes we 
stood in, this event was welcomed by all. 
Colonel Beecher's column, with my remaining 
two guns under Hill, joined us on the 10th, 
and Hill brought the sad news of the death of 
poor Tillard, one of my subalterns, who had 
been left ill at Mhow. He had distinguished 
himself greatly in the Crimea, and had the 
Legion of Honour, besides other war medals. 
On January 11th General Michel and Head- 
Quarter Staff arrived, and when the next day 



458 



APPENDIX. 



Colonel Price, commanding the artillery in this 
division of the army, with his adjutant Stirling, 
followed, we wondered what was up. They all 
believed the report of Tantia Topee's death to 
be correct. On 12th I got letters telling me of 
my wife's dangerous illness, and I evidently 
looked so anxious that Barras, commanding the 
Camel Corps, asked me if any thing was wrong, 
and on my telling him he immediately dis- 
patched a sowar on a sawnee (or fast-riding) 
camel, forty-five miles to the nearest telegraph 
office, with a message from me, the answer to 
which would, I trusted, relieve my anxiety. 
Good, kind, gallant Barras ! 

We left Chubra on 15th January, and 
reached Kajoorie on 20th. I had just turned 
in that evening when the sergeant-major came 
to me to say, that two of my guns were to be 
sent away again, with a squadron of 17th. 
"All right, warn Lieutenant Hill." It was 
always poor Hill's turn, there being nobody 
else ; he was a very good subaltern, gave me 
no trouble, and, what was worth a great deal in 
this country, never made a muddle of the ac- 
counts of his detachment. The detachment 
was to be sent towards Nagahar, the authori- 
ties of which place were known to be disaffected, 



APPENDIX. 



459 



and had lately refused supplies to one of our 
columns. 

We marched into the fine old city of Kotah, 
on 22nd January, the General amusing himself 
on the line of march by shooting black buck, 
and invariably making himself agreeable and 
kind to us all. Kotah is a handsome city, though 
still partly in ruins, from the effects of the siege 
it sustained nine months ago. We were en- 
camped in the Compound of the Kesidency, and 
I visited the upper room, the floor and ceiling 
of which were stained with the blood of Major 
Burton and his two brave sons, who were cut 
down after defending themselves from room to 
room for five hours in October 1857. Major 
Burton, our Eesident at the Court of the King 
of Kotah, had left the place on the breaking out 
of the Mutiny, and remained for some time at 
Neemuch, where he received a warning from 
the king not to return, as his Majesty felt 
powerless to afford him protection. In the 
face of this warning he returned to Kotah, and 
in two days his house was attacked by the mu- 
tineers, and he and his two gallant sons brutally 
murdered. The king does not seem to have 
made any effort to save them, but now the old 
hypocrite pretended to be our most loyal ally, 



460 



APPENDIX. 



and gave a splendid durbar in honour of General 
Michel, who appeared at it attended by all the 
officers of the column, and himself entertained 
the king at a similar fete the following day. 
The king also invited us to witness an elephant 
fight, which was a very tame affair, the poor 
beasts only butting at one another. On the 
23rd, dining with the General, we were regaled 
with land-turtle soup, but the reflection of the 
sort of food the reptiles were likely to have 
shared with the vultures and native pigs rather 
took away the gusto with which one enjoyed the 
dainty dish. Next day I was excessively 
unwell, which I, of course, attributed to the 
turtle soup, but our chief was brisk as usual ; 
nothing ever seemed to hurt him. Kotah is 
famous for turquoise, which may be had for the 
trouble of picking up by those who are enough 
of lapidaries to know a precious stone when 
they see it. 

On January 25th the horse artillery and 
Highlanders crossed the Chumbul at the Gum- 
match ford. Getting the guns over was rather 
a delicate operation, as the bed of the river was 
entirely composed of huge boulders of rock, 
with deep holes between, into which, horses, 
guns, and all, occasionally disappeared. In 



APPENDIX. 



461 



consequence of these difficulties the rest of the 
force remained another day at Kotah, and 
joined us at Batwareh. On 26th Hill returned 
with his two guns, and the squadron of lancers, 
Nagahar having heen settled by Colonel Napier 
and his division. 

The next clay we marched twenty-four miles 
to Noorgaum. On this occasion, I had neg- 
lected to inform myself of the name of the 
place to which we were bound. It struck me 
that our course during the night had been 
rather erratic, and on morning breaking, I could 
discover no traces of the 17th Lancers, who were 
leading the column. This gallant corps had a 
habit of marching at night by files, and when- 
ever they came to a wet place, or broken 
ground, of crossing it in single file, and then 
closing up at a trot, and thus they were easily 
lost in the darkness. Finding himself left to 
his own resources, my guide suddenly squatted 
on the ground, and when I desired him to 
" Jeldie jow," he only shook his head. I asked 
him loudly, slowly, and in my very best English, 
what was the meaning of such conduct, but 
could get no reply beyond a shake of the head. 
Presently a camp-follower, who understood a 
little English, came up, and I told him to ask 



462 



APPENDIX. 



the man why he did not proceed ; the reply 
was, "To what place does the Sahib want to 
go?" This was puzzling; however, I was 
relieved from the difficulty by the commanding 
officer of 2nd Bombay Cavalry, who rode up 
from my rear, and who knew the name of the 
place to which we were bound. The guide still 
remained immoveable, declaring he did not 
know the way ; but after volumes of talk, and I 
believe threats of flogging and hanging, he 
started off again, and eventually piloted us safe 
to Noorgaum. There were often difficulties 
with the guides. The country people did not 
like the employment. It took them a long 
way from their homes, and they were very badly 
paid for their trouble. The mode of proceeding- 
was, to catch by force as many men as were 
wanted, from the native village nearest to the 
place where our troops were encamped; they 
were then marched to the quarter-guards of 
the respective corps, where they were kept 
till wanted. 

From this place we continued marching for 
a week, without any incident worthy of record, 
and having no satisfactory tidings of the rebels, 
it became apparent that they had slipped away 
from us, a disagreeable report prevailing that 



APPENDIX. 



463 



they had made for the Bikaneer desert, and in 
anticipation of following them thither, Somerset 
talked to me about carrying water in skins ! 
The General ordered us to fall back two marches 
to a place called Sharpoora, where we arrived 
February 5th. We were evidently at fault, and 
were to halt till more certain information of the 
enemy's movements could be procured. 

On the 2nd February my second Captain, 
Williams, joined us without bag or baggage, 
after a long stern chase, and having had some 
narrow escapes from detached parties of rebels. 
The country was by no means safe for a solitary 
Sahib to travel about in alone. The General 
went off the same day with the Political Agent, 
thinking to get news of the rebels. Shortly 
after Captain Williams's arrival I discovered 
that he talked Hindustani like a native; I 
consequently felt that if my gallant friends of 
17th slipped away from me another time in the 
dark it would not signify ; but alas ! I no sooner 
got my Hindustani scholar than I lost him 
again, for I was called at 3.30 a.m. on the 
morning of the 10th, with orders to send two 
guns under Williams after General Michel. 
They marched at six, with head-quarter camp, 
and a troop of lancers, to join the General. 



464 



APPENDIX. 



The remainder of the column arrived on the 
12th at a place called Sattaneh, and left it next 
morning early, our Brigadier having some in- 
formation of the enemy's whereabouts. 

We halted about mid-day, in fervent heat, at 
Koopanalile, but instead of pitching our camp, 
and getting under cover, we got orders on the 
contrary to leave our tents and baggage behind 
us, and to start again on another dour, literally 
in hot pursuit after a body of the enemy, said 
to be commanded by the famous Eao Sahib. 
We took the refractory elephant with us, 
thinking the one tent he condescended to carry, 
might be a great comfort to creep under, when 
the pursuit was over. As soon as the few 
necessary arrangements were made, we started 
off again, and made at once thirty-nine miles 
off the reel, before the halt sounded. On, on 
we went, day and night, day and night, only 
halting just to feed the horses now and then, 
and to swallow a mouthful of food ourselves. 
On dismounting from my horse at noon, on 
the 19th February, I staggered against a tree, 
— a touch of the sun, no doubt, which was 
not surprising, — the wonder was, we all bore 
the exposure and fatigue so well. We came 
across some of the enemy's camping places, 



APPENDIX. 



465 



recently used, which gave us hope of soon 
overtaking them ; and on the 21st we halted at 
a place called Booghra, having marched 194 
miles during the last six days, of which ninety- 
four had been performed in the last forty-eight 
hours. This would be good travelling for a 
column of troops in a temperate climate, but 
in India, it must be remembered, on account of 
the deadly influence of the sun, troops in 
ordinary times only march at night, and then 
only from ten to twelve miles at a time, with 
comfortable tents, in which to repose during the 
day. We, on the contrary, had had no shelter 
from the sun, (an enemy at all times more to 
be dreaded by British soldiers than any number 
of rebels,) since the 13th inst., when we left 
our equipage behind us. Fortunately, at 
Booghra, there were fine topes of trees, which 
afforded shelter to the men, while the officers 
made use of the mess tent, carried by the poor 
elephant, whose feet were literally in holes, 
and covered with open sores, so that he could 
not have kept up another day. 

On February 22nd, the General and his 
aide-de-camp, Colonel Elkington, came in from 
Neemuch. They brought us a leg of mutton, 
expecting us to be half starved, and were 

h h 



466 



APPENDIX. 



agreeably surprised to find us sitting round a 
plentiful board, to which they immediately sat 
down. Our broken hospital cart was a grand 
institution, and made us capable of great things. 
The General brought word that we had driven 
the enemy to a standstill, not far off, and that 
they were inclined to negotiate, if not too 
hardly pressed. This was the reason of our 
halt. 

On 27th, our tents and baggage arrived, and 
oh, what a hurrying and scurrying of native 
servants there was! what splashing of water, 
and upsetting of tubs ! and great was the luxury 
of a thorough change of garments. There was 
a great parade of the whole force on the morn- 
ing of 1st March, to receive the submission of 
300 rebels, who had agreed to surrender and 
lay down their arms, on condition of their lives 
being spared. The troops were drawn up in 
line, with the Horse Artillery in the centre. 
The rebels formed line facing us, and a ragged, 
travel-worn set of ruffians they looked. Each 
man stepped from the ranks in turns, salaamed 
low, and laid his arms down at the General's 
feet. They were then marched under a guard a 
short distance, to a camp of their own. Imme- 
diately after the parade, the 17th Lancers, 



APPENDIX. 



467 



with two of my guns under Hill, marched off 
under the command of Colonel Benson, to have 
another general " look round;" more, I believe, 
for purposes of police, than for any more 
serious work. 

The following morning I started with the 
remaining two guns of my troop and some 
Bombay Cavalry, en route for Neemuch, in 
charge of the rebels who had surrendered; and 
thus the cavalry column under poor Somerset 
was broken up. Poor fellow ! He died about 
three years after in England, his death hastened, 
indeed, I may say, entirely caused, by exposure 
during this short campaign. I had only been 
four months under his command, but I learned 
to feel a great personal regard for him. He 
had previously seen much service at the Cape, 
and had now been well selected to command 
what was called par excellence "the Cavalry 
Column" for the pursuit of the rebels. How 
he performed this duty, I have endeavoured, 
though I fear in a very imperfect and inadequate 
manner, to show. The campaign was now 
virtually at an end, the rebels had all fled, laid 
down their arms, and dispersed ; and how, 
some weeks later, their great leader, Tantia 
Topee (alas ! for us, alive and well) was given 
h h 2 



468 



APPENDIX. 



up by his friend Maun Singh, tried by a Mili- 
tary Commission, and hanged, has become 
matter of history. 

I arrived with my convoy at Neemuch on 
3rd of March, and delivered them over to the 
proper authorities. I believe they were each 
given a small sum of money, and sent to their 
homes. At Neemuch I found Captain Williams 
and two of my guns, and here we remained till 
the 17th, when my troop marched with a 
portion of the 72nd Highlanders, en route for 
Mhow, there to be quartered. 

On 22nd we arrived at Jowra, and dined 
with our old friend the Nawab, who came out 
to meet us, glittering in a rich Oriental dress, 
finished off with top boots and breeches. On 
March 28th, we arrived early at Assowtah, 
and having refreshed myself with breakfast, 
and learned the native language from Williams 
to the extent of " Yeh Mhow che rusta hai ? " — 
is this the way to Mhow ? — I rode forward by 
myself forty-five miles into that Station, and 
had the happiness of again joining my wife and 
child. 

On 1st April, Williams, with my troop and 
the Highlanders, arrived at Mhow, and on 2nd, 
Colonel Price and his Adjutant started for 



APPENDIX. 



469 



Meerut, which was to be his future station, and 
where, in the repose of cantonment life, I trust 
my old friend would recover somewhat of that 
comfortable rotundity of form of which the 
hardships of the campaign had sadly shorn 
him, and that we may live to ride together 
over the grassy sward of Woolwich Common— 
a pleasing exchange from the burning, arid 
plains of Central India. No sooner had we 
settled down to the monotony of life in a 
Station, than all, officers and men, incon- 
tinently fell sick, and as soon as my wife and 
myself had partially recovered from a severe 
attack of fever, I applied for, and obtained, 
leave of absence to proceed to England, the 
voyage to which has been already detailed in 
the former portion of this little work. 



THE END. 



AND RIVINGTON, PRINTERS, ST. JOHN'S SQUARE, 



[JULY 1865.] 



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w& s ?f^£T u S °! 4 he thither - B y Mrs - i*opoh> Paget. t« 

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^^S^SS^SL^ ^ Thomas BAi raSj P.E.G.S. W 
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23 



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INDEX. 



FAGS 

Abbott on Sight and Touch • ■ ™ 

Acton's Modern Cookery « 

Aikin's Select British Poets » 

Memoirs and Remains * • 

Alcock's Residence in Japan - g 

Allies on Formation of Christianity ] 

Alpme Guide (The) % \ 

Apjohn's Manual of the Metalloid, i - . 

Aeago's Biographies of Scientific Men .... o 

Popular Astronomy. {" | 

Meteorological Essays ^ j 

Arnold's Manual of English literature.... 7 , 

Arnott's Elements of Physics j 

Arundines Cami 5 4 ! 

Atherstone Priory 5 

Atkinson's Papinian. • " • V,' "," ' " ' ' ' ' a 

Autumn holidays of a Country Par-on .. » 

Ayre's Treasury of Bible Knowledge 19 

B^bbage's Life of a Philosopher * 

Bacon's Essays, by Whatelt ° 

Life andLetters. by Speddikg...... 

Works, by Ellis, Speeding, and g 

Heath • ; • • "™V,i in 

Baen on the Emotions and TV ill 1 u 

on the Senses and Intellect |0 

on the Studv of Character ™ 

Ba^ ? s Emigrations in S.W. Africa .... 22 

Ball's Guide to the Central Alps -i 

Guide to the Western Alps -3 

Bayldons Rents and Tillages 18 

Black's Treatise on Brewing • ^ 

Blacki.ey and Friedlander s German and 

English Dictionary ° 

Blaine's Rural Sports -° 

Blight's Week at the Land s End g 

Bonnet's Alps of Dauphme • *~ 

Bourse's Catechism of the Steam Engine. . 1/ 

Handbook of Steam Engine 1/ 

Treatise on the Steam Engine ... 1/ 

Bowdler's Family Shakspeare -° 

Boro's Manual for Naval Cadets ....... .... -< 

Bramley-Moore's Six Sisters of the T alleys ^ 
Bbakdb's Dictionary of Science, Literature, 

Bray'sYc.) Education of the Feelings 10 

Philosophy of > ecessity \» 

(Mrs.) British Empire U 

Bbinton on Food and Digestion f« 

Bristow's Glossary of Mineralogy ..... ... ... ' - 

Bf.odie's iSir C. B. i Psychological Inquiries 

. Works ia 

Autobiography 

Browne's Ice Caves of France and S witzer- 15 

land .■; 73 

Exposition 39 Articles 

_ Pentateuch ' s 



Bcckle's History of Civilization g 

Bull's Hints to Mothers ., 8 

Maternal Management ol Cmldren. 

Bcnsen's Analecta Ante-Nicaena " 

Ancient Egypt «» 

B cr"'- vicissitudes 'of Families 

Burton's Christian Church 

2* 

Cabinet Lawyer ■ 9 , 

Calvert's Wife's Manual £ 

Campaigner at Home . v.- " " ■ j'g 

Cats 1 and Farlie s Moral Emblems ^ 

Chorale Book for England A' V ' 

Colenso (Bishop) on Pentateuch and Book jg 

of Joshua £ 3 

Commonplace°Plailosopher in Town and g 
cSSgton"'s' Handbook of Chemical' Ana- ^ 
CoNTANSEiu'VPockerFren^hand English ^ 

Dictionary ... . . ... . . • • • • • g 

Practical ditto ; • • ■ •„• ■ ■ •• a 

Conybeare and Howson's Life ana fcpisties 



of St. Paul 

Abridgment of ait to l = 

Cox's Tales of the Great Persian War _ - 

Tales from Greek Mythology -j 

Tales of the Gods and Heroes g 

Tales of Thebes and Argos ........... r o 

Cresy's Encyclopedia of Civil Engmeeiir.g 16 

Critical Essays of a Country Parson » 

Crowe's History of France 

D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation in 

the time of Calvin „ fi 

Dead Shot ( The\ by Marksman -| 

De da Rive's Treatise on Electricity . }- 

Delm ard's Till age Life in Switzerland .... -- 

De la Pryme's Life of Christ ••••• -» 

De Tocq'-eville's Democracy m America.. - 

Diaries of a Lady of Quality 

Dobson on the Ox 7, 

Dove's Law of Storms ........ \, 

Doyle's Clrronicle of England 



ISSSoada^NkrVo^W^r.; 

Commentary on EpheMans 

Destiny of the Creature.... 

; Lectures on Life oi Christ . 



30 



WORKS published by LONGMANS akd CO. 



Ellicott's Commentary on Galatians... 

-Pastoral Epis't 



Philippians, &e.. 

Thessalonians . . . 



Essays and Reviews 
~ .. - on Religion and Literature',' edited 

D7 Mankinq mm 

written in the Interval's' of Business 



Fairbairn's Application of Cast and 

Wrought Iron to Building 

■ — Information for Engineer's". . .' 

Treatise on Mills & Mill work 



Ffodlkes's Christendom's Divisions" 

First FnendshiD 

Fitz Rot's Weather Book ..." 
Fowler's Collieries and Colliers." 

.fe reshfibld's Alpine Byways 

^T. — , . ^ Tour in the Grisons 

X nends m Council 

F roude's History of England 



G instfnct S Marvels and Mysteries of 
Gee's Sunday to Sunday". .'.!'.*.! l\ 

Geological Magazine .' .' ^ 

Gilbert and Churchill's Dolomite Moun- 
tains cro 

Gill y 's Shipwreck's of" the Navy .* ." ! ." .' .' " 23 

vxoethe s Second Faust, by Anster .... 25 

vxooDEy e's Elements of Mechanism .....'..".' ] 6 
Uorle s Questions on Browne's Exposition 

ot the 39 Articles ls 

Graver Thoughts of a Country Parson * ! ! ! .' 8 

(irat s Anatomy j 5 

Greene's Corals and Sea Jellies" !!!!!!!!!!!! 12 

Sponges and Animalcule !..!!!" 12 

^xrove on Correlation of Physical Forces 12 

Gwilt s Encyclopsedia of Architecture .... 16 



Handbook of Angling, by Ephemera 
Mare on Election of Representatives 
Hartwig s Sea and its Living Wondf 



s Living Wonders. 
Tropical World 



Hawker s Instructions to Young Sportsmen 

Heaton's Notes on Rifle Shooting 

.Helps s Spanish Conquest in America. . . ." 
Herschels Essays from the Edinburgh 

and Quarterly Reviews 

— Outlines of Astronomy" .' ." .' .' .' '. \ \ 

Hewitt on the Diseases of Women .... 
Hinchliff's South American Sketches ... 

Hints on Etiquette z[ 

Hodgson's Time and Space .'!.. 10 

Holland's Chapters on Mental Physio'lo'°y 9 

—Essays on Scientific Subiects. . . . 13 

— —Medical Notes and Reflections. . 15 

Holmes's System of Surgery 14 

Hooker and Walker-Arnott's British 

xlora 13 

Horne's Introduction to the Scripture's" 19 

— Compendium of ditto.. .. 19 

Hoskyns s Talpa " "17 

How we Spent the Summer ....""!"!*"" 22 
Howitt's Australian Discovery ' 22 

History of the Supernatural* .'!!!!! "9 

■ -Rural Life of Enzland "3 

— -"Visits to Remarkable Places 23 

Howson s Hulsean Lectures on St. Paul.... 18 
Hughes s (W.) Geography of British His- 
tory n 

— — — — Manual of Geography .!!.! 11 

HtTLLAH s History of Modern Music 4 

— Transition Musical Lectures .... 4 

Humphreys' Sentiments of Shakspeare .... 16 



Hunting Grounds of the Old World.. "si 

Hymns from Lyra Germanica 21 

Ingelow's Poems , 25 



Jameson's Legends of the Saints and Mar- 
tyrs 

Legends of the Madonna! 

~ — Legends of the Monastic Orders' 

Lord N Eastlake's History of Our 

Johns's Home Walks" and HoUd'ay'Rambies 

Johnson s Patentee's Manual 

Practical Draughtsman ..'.!!!*"" 

Johnston's Gazetteer, or Geographical Dic- 
tionary 

Jones's Christianity and Common Sense . . ." .' 

Kalisch's Commentary on the Old Testa- 
ment j- 

— Hebrew Grammar!!!.'!!!!.'!!.'!"'.' 7 

Kennedy's Hymnologia Christiana 21 

Kestbven s Domestic Medicine 15 

Kirby and Spence's Entomology !!!.! 13 

Knighton's Story of Elihu Jan 24 

Kubler's Notes to Lyra Germanica ..!.'..'!! 21 

Kuenbn on Pentateuch and Joshua ........ 19 

Lady's Tour Round Monte Rosa 23 

Landon's (L. E. L.) Poetical Works ....!!.. 26 

Late Laurels 2 4 

Latham's English Dictionary ..!!!!!!!!"!! 7 

Leck y's History of Rationalism " 3 

Leisure Hours in Town * a 

Lewes's Biographical History of" Philosophy 
Lewis on the Astronomy of the Anoients . . 



: Astronomy of the Ancients ... 6 
on the Credibility of Early Roman 

History 6 

Dialogue on Government ... . . 6 

on Egyptological Method ."! 6 

Essays on Administrations 6 

Fables of Bab rius 6 

• on Foreign Jurisdiction !!.! 6 

on Irish Disturbances 6 

— — — on Observation and Reasoning in 

Politics f 6 

on Political Terms !.!!!!!.'! 6 

on the Romance Languages ! 6 

Liddell and Scott's Greek- English Lexicon 8 

< Abridged ditto 8 

-Lindley and Moore's Treasury of Botany 13 
Longman's Lectures oh the History of Ens- 
land p 

Lo 



Encyclopaedia of Agriculture 

-Cottage. Farm 



. 18 



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